Master of Time: Guardian of Magic
by jaqtkd
Summary: The circle has opened and closed many times whilst Merlin continues to play his part as Guardian of the Crystal Cave. Now, in the 21st century, the story is set to start again. This time, however, the Round Table will need Morgana's dubious help in order to defeat their enemy. Neither human nor beast; could this foe be too powerful even for the legendary Emrys? Book 3 begins.
1. Prologue

**Master of Time: Guardian of Magic**

**Book Three of the 'Master of Time' series.**

**The Year 2039**

How could he have been so stupid? Surely with all these years of experience Merlin should have known better than to get distracted. Almost two thousand years old, imbued with great magical power and foresight, and yet he'd _still_ managed to make such a silly mistake; focusing all his attention to the east – on London, Europe and the numerous foreign conflicts – and forgetting the most important task that he'd been given.

Even waiting for Arthur's return and keeping him safe as he grew, was a means to an end. Taliesin had mentioned it first, centuries ago in The Crystal Cave, and the warlock had automatically taken on the responsibility without really questioning the vague explanation the ancient sorcerer had given him. That ignorance had not lasted for long, however, and it had been many centuries since Merlin had received direct confirmation of his true purpose. The main reason that he and Arthur had been put on this world in the first place.

His extended life had not been given merely to keep that one man alive long enough for him to become king - or military commander or peace-keeper - it was far bigger than that. Each time Arthur had been reborn, it was the pair's job to gather up the members of the Round Table, and pool their knowledge and talents for the sake of their country and, ultimately, for the whole world. And that boiled down to one simple task which Merlin had forgotten about whilst he'd been focusing on all the other dramatic evens happening in the world and excitedly planned for Arthur's next reincarnation.

Just one, simple job.

Protecting the Valley of the Fallen Kings.

And now look at what had happened.

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N: **Ah, hello? *sheepish grin* Sorry about the delay with this one, but I'm afraid I got distracted by my original stories, especially seeing I now have a site where I can publish them. Anyway, I'm back again with part three of this saga. I've put this little teaser up already but chapter 1 will follow later today and NOT Friday as I originally stated. Enjoy._

_Jaq xxx_


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** So I've tried my very best to avoid the 'name soup' issues from the last book. Here each character has a modern name which has a similar sound to their old one and, to make things even easier, their modern names will only be used during direct conversation. Eg. "Hello, Archie," Merlin said to Arthur. "My name is Martin." If you're still getting lost, I have put a full name list up on my PP._

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Houses of Parliament 2058**

"Ladies and Gentleman, if we could start the meeting now?"

The members of the new government Think Tank took their time finding their places, many still involved in their conversation whilst others took their time finishing their coffee. So, it was several minutes after this announcement had first been made before the whole group was finally ready to start.

"_Wrong shape,"_ Merlin thought as he sat down at oblong table in his elderly guise. He chuckled loudly, earning a stern stare from the Prime Minister who he was now sitting next to.

Uther was the leader of the country once again although, this time, he was not the king. Which made perfect sense as, for many centuries, the United Kingdom had been ruled by an elected government with only a figurehead monarch on the throne. But, what part was Arthur going to play this time around? Definitely not politics, if his current studies were anything to go by.

And there were already many familiar souls present within this room, even if there was currently only one other here from the original Round Table. Gaius, now Guy, was a leading scientist and expert in climate change; the real brains behind this project, although Merlin had given him a few nudges over the years. Fortunately, the sorcerer had continued to make himself useful to numerous important leaders over the centuries, still just as indispensable during these modern days as he had been during the Dark Ages.

Geoffrey, as secretary here, opened up the meeting. He was one of the 'part-time' souls as Merlin had coined them; people who did not always show up at every reincarnation, only making their appearance occasionally. And, from what the warlock could tell, this particular opening of the Circle promised to be one of the busier times, with a far larger 'cast' being drawn into Merlin and Arthur's immediate orbit. Geoffrey started with the usual long, detailed boring summary of why they were here and what it was they hoped to achieve and Merlin tried hard not to let his frustration show. As the years and centuries progressed, these sort of meetings appeared to take more and more time to reach any conclusion. And to think Merlin had complained about council meetings back in Camelot. They seemed positively speedy compared to these long, drawn out affairs.

"It is vital that we put all our available resources into this project," Gaius was saying. "We must employ the very brightest this country has to offer with no expense spared."

"That is all very well," Uther replied. "But the treasury is not a bottomless pit and much of the budget you're proposing we use will be required for flood relief and rebuilding."

"Yes, but the whole point of this project is to find a permanent solution," Merlin said, now exceptionally confident about speaking out, after centuries playing his role as advisor to the country's leaders. "Once we discover that, then there'll be no need to worry about those other issues anyway."

"Lord Emrys is correct," Gaius said. "We need to invest in the future"

"It's a matter of the chicken and the egg though," Uther pushed. "The solution may be years coming – it may never happen. The money is needed for emergency aid _now_."

"We all know that this is not something that you are personally in favour of, Euan." Nimueh said – here today in her capacity as leader of the opposition. "But the fact is that that both Houses and the King have given this project their support and so surely we are here to debate the specifics, not to question whether or not money should be spent on it at all."

"Of course," Uther said with a false smile. "But talk of cost in this case _is_ relevant. We do need to present a budget to the treasury at the end of this feasibility study. "

The words were civil enough, but the look the pair gave each other told a different story and there was a sudden tension in the air as everyone appeared to hold their breath. It was bad enough that these two were on opposite sides of the political divide, but they had been romantically involved in the past and _that_ history made their conflict even more marked. Accusations of two-timing and property conflicts still raged twenty-three years after the split, and both blamed the other for making their daughter's health issues worse than they needed to be. Merlin wasn't the only one in the room to shift uncomfortably on his seat as the two old enemies continued to fight over the issues of necessity versus cost.

Luckily Uther was in the minority here, with even the most conservative of politicians desperate enough to push ahead with the research after the previous atrocious winter. The general world climate changes had resulted in the United Kingdom now being in the path of a warmer and more volatile Gulf Stream which had lead to increasing rain fall and rising sea levels. That in turn had resulted in such severe flooding that many areas of the country had now been abandoned to the sea, rivers and lakes – huge swathes of the countryside now waterlogged for most of the year.

Including, unfortunately, the old Valley of the Fallen Kings.

"Idiot!" Merlin muttered to himself yet again.

"There are many who believe that the traditional flood defences can be made to work, with no more than a few minor adjustments," Uther pushed.

"Not after last December's storm," Gaius disagreed. "Not when the Thames barrier itself failed to stop the rising water. That old structure will not last for very much longer and the Severn barrier has cause far more problems than it solved."

"Tell me about it," Merlin mumbled.

He was still furious at himself for not paying attention to that project when it was first proposed twenty-two years ago although, admittedly, he _had_ been rather distracted by Arthur's birth at the time. It had eventually been built several miles to the west; a new flood defence that was _supposed_ to help solve the ever increasing flooding problems in that part of the country. However, the planners had rushed it through too quickly, not considering what the knock-on effect might be. The barrier had indeed stopped the worst of the flooding in the surrounding area, but had instead shifted the problem upstream and underground, one of the many consequences of which was the creation of a new river in Merlin's valley, and the flooding of the Crystal Cave itself.

He was doing his best to protect it but it was a vicious circle. The flooding had the unexpected effect of dulling the magic within the cave which, in turn, weakened Merlin's powers. He had managed to put some magical barriers in place but they would not last forever and the longer the problem persisted, the weaker they would become. A more permanent solution was needed before the whole cave was submerged completely and the magic disappeared along with it.

Which was why he was here.

He now knew what the Round Table would be needed for this time around. Not a war against invaders or terrorists, or a fight to keep some greedy land owner for bulldozing his valley, but something far more practical.

He really should have paid more attention but then, perhaps this was simply destiny playing her hand again? Perhaps if this hadn't happened then Arthur would not have needed to be reborn. Maybe this had all been inevitable too.

And yet, despite all of this, Uther was _still_ digging his heels in and putting conditions and obstacles in their path. Just as he always had.

'_Hurry up and take over would you, Arthur. We need a voice of reason in the government right now and your father is most definitely not it.'_

**March 2059**

"Your qualifications are very impressive, young man," Gaius said, looking at the tall, skinny youth in front of him. He then frowned, peering at him over his glasses. "Have we met before? You do look awfully familiar."

"Perhaps from the Imperial College, Sir," Merlin replied, promptly. "I believe you lecture there quite often?"

"That must be it then," Gaius agreed, still staring. "Although..." He shook his head and glanced back down at the papers in front of him. "So yes, _very_ impressive – First Class Honours degrees in Earth Science _and_ computer studies." He again looked up at the apparently very young man in front of him. "I can't help wonder when you had the time."

"I was one of those annoying child prodigies," Merlin replied with a slightly embarrassed shrug. "You know... A levels at eleven, first degree at fifteen?"

When, in truth, he had several hundred years of education and a hundred years of computer experience under his belt. There was rarely any need for him to forge documents nowadays as, over the years, he'd had plenty of time to study at home an enrol in the odd college course here and there. One of the advantages of being immortal.

"Well, it's all very impressive indeed. Although, brains and paper qualifications are one thing, what we are looking for here is something rather more rounded than that. Perhaps you could tell us in your own words what qualities you think you could bring to this project?"

Again this shouldn't be a problem, although Merlin couldn't help feeling nervous as he delivered his interview speech, despite the fact that he had been as much a part of this plan as Gaius had. This time around he would have to play his two different roles at the same time – hiding any relationship between his older and younger self – playing Lord Emrys, the eccentric old millionaire, scientist, and advisor one minute, and Martin, the young, genius college graduate the next.

He only hoped he now had enough experience to be able to play this more complex version of his dual life without causing suspicion. People were generally a lot less trusting nowadays, and modern technology offered far more opportunities for his deceptions to be uncovered, so he certainly couldn't afford to be complacent.

After several long minutes nervously pacing along a corridor outside, he was called back into the room where Gaius greeted him with an open smile.

"Well, I'm pleased to say that you've got the job. Congratulations, Martin, and welcome to the team."

**London. April 2059**

"How could you be so selfish, Archie?" Uther complained. "Did you not think about how this would look for me and my party?"

"Not really, Dad," Arthur replied, rolling his eyes. "It is my life and my career, after all, and this job is a dream come true for me. How could I have realistically turned it down?"

Having a Prime Minster as a father, Arthur decided, was generally far more trouble than it was worth.

"You know I've spent years fighting against this new project, put my whole career on the line in order to ensure that the country spends its money on more worthwhile and immediate ventures, and then you undermine me by actually applying for the very job that I've been condemning as a waste of public funds? Have you any idea how many problems this is going to cause? I'm going to be made a laughing stock."

"If your opponents use your adult son's career choice as an argument against you and your policies, then _they're_ the ones with the problem," Arthur replied in a bored tone. "You simply need to explain how foolish they are to blame you for bringing up your son to think for himself. Surely it's better this way than if I agreed with everything you said just because I _was_ your off spring?"

Uther grunted. "You could have at least told me you were applying for this."

"Huh," Arthur mumbled. "I wonder why I didn't."

His father turned abruptly to glare at him. "So, you _were_ going behind my back deliberately?"

"Certainly not. A place on this team is the most highly sort after job in the country right now. I didn't think it was worth mentioning unless I actually got it."

"You still should have said something so-"

"It really was none of-"

"Enough," Ygraine interrupted. "Your father is right that you should have told him in order to give some warning and..." She held up one hand to stop her husband gloating about that comment. "... Archie is _also_ correct in that he shouldn't have to limit his horizons just because his father is the Prime Minister."

"But there's going to be hell to pay over this, Elaine," Uther grumbled. "The Chief Whip's going to be furious. This particular flood prevention project is going to cost the country a fortune; far more than the other proposals that were on the table."

"Tell him what Archie just told you then," Ygraine replied calmly. "That your son's career choices are no-one's business but his. Not even his own father."

"I suppose..."

"Now, Archie, when does this job start?" his mother continued, putting on a bright smile. "Where will you be working?"

"Over Bristol way, apparently. Seeing that's where most of the flooding problems are."

"But they've got that new Severn Barrier in operation there now, haven't they?" she asked.

"Yes, but it's unfortunately caused more problems than it's solved and-"

"So, _Guy_ says," Uther interrupted. "The area around the Severn itself is very much better now."

"Don't start, Father. You concentrate on _your_ job and I'll do mine. Anyway, Mum, the job starts in September, but I'm to travel up there this Friday to the mansion of this Emrys guy. The one that's put up a whole chunk of private money?"

"Huh," Uther scoffed. "Crazy, that one is."

"The old man certainly is eccentric," Arthur agreed with a smile. "But he _is_ a well respected Lord and he's throwing a party for the whole weekend and putting everyone up, all expenses paid, so I'm certainly not complaining."

"Is that in Bristol too?" Ygraine asked.

"No, somewhere in the wilds of Gloucestershire." Arthur pulled a face. "I looked at the map and there's practically nothing there - just a few scattered villages and farms - but the house itself is very grand, apparently, and I've been told that we'll want for nothing whilst we're there."

"I wouldn't get _too_ excited," his father complained. "I'm quite certain that Lord Emrys' idea of luxury is rather different to yours or mine and, what with him and Guy there, well... I'm sure it will be a unique weekend for you."

"Be nice, dear," Ygraine scolded.

"Well, hopefully I've dissuaded him from bringing Moira in on the project," Arthur's father continued. "I've no idea what Guy was thinking for even suggesting such a thing."

"Seriously?" Arthur asked, having not heard of that discussion before. "That does sound most strange. What would he want with her anyway? She has no engineering or computing skills to offer, so I'm not sure what she bring to the project?"

"I really can't imagine," Uther agreed.

~o~0~o~


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Emrys Manor, 1989**

"Here we go again!"

Merlin blinked at his reflection in his bedroom mirror, trying to get used to the improved eyesight and the odd sensation of being genuinely young again, rather than casting a spell to achieve the aim.

Each time the circle closed, Merlin continued to age, and then remained an old man until it reopened. During that time, it often felt as if his life were on hold, despite his regular attempts to find interesting tasks to occupy himself, and his old house tended to be remain unchanged too. It was only now, looking around his bedroom with his young eyes, that Merlin realised just how out-of-date and shabby the place really was.

"An old man's room," he decided with a shake of the head. "So, where are we now? Late twentieth century. What would a young man in his early twenties have in such a place?"

And, with a number of casual spells, Merlin quickly changed the set-up to something rather more suitable; a newer bed, sparser decorations and a table by the window for reading. He then went over to his wardrobe, pulled aside the clothes he'd been wearing as old Emrys and hunted for his most recent young man's outfits.

"You can never go wrong with jeans," he muttered to himself, taking out a dark, grey pair. Then he took one look at the wildly flared legs and shook his head. "That will never do," he decided. "Young people wear them a lot tighter nowadays."

He held a hand out towards the jeans and mumbled a spell until the fit became snugger. "Shirt...?" He looked out at the heavy rain outside. "... with a hood." He put on a blue one and carelessly tied a piece of red cloth around his neck. "What?" he asked the reflection in the mirror. "I've got to have a personal style, haven't I? Whatever the fashion of the day is. I'll get some better stuff when I'm in Bristol."

Of course he'd still been out and about in the world and kept abreast of things generally, but somehow it always did feel like a rediscovery during these early days of a new Circle and it was amazing how many details he missed when he looked like the old man he really was. More than that though, these days of detailed record keeping meant Merlin would need to spend large amounts of time researching and making sure all his own identity documents were up-to-date and able to pass the most detailed of inspection. Computers, he'd discovered, were both a blessing and a curse; a great tool for him personally, but also the greatest threat to his anonymity.

And, on the way to the city, he might as well drop into the Crystal Cave and attempt to discover which member of the Round Table had been born first this time around. Not that there was any real rush, as numerous reincarnations had taught him to play the slow game. It was usual for the births to be spread out over decades and Arthur was always one of the last souls to be reborn. That meant he'd have plenty of time to find out where everyone was and guess what their likely roles would be this time around.

**Emrys Mansion, Gloucestershire**

**June 2059**

Arthur caught the train to Bristol and was met at the station exit by a man holding two name boards who was waiting to drive him and one other guest to their destination. His new travelling companion was a curly-haired, bearded man a few years older than himself and a little taller too. Arthur was above the average height and so, as a rule, was not used to having the disadvantage of height.

"My name's Leonard," the tall man said. "Len, if you like."

"Archie," he responded, holding out a hand which the other man took in a firm shake.

"You seem familiar," Leon said.

Arthur sighed, used to people vaguely recognising him from tabloid newspapers and televised public functions. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Do you also have a job on the Emrys project too?"

"Yes, I was most fortunate," Leon replied modestly.

Arthur just nodded, doubting very much that luck had come into it. 'Only the best and the brightest,' they'd said at his interview and, despite graduating at the top of his class at University, he'd known that the job was not a certainty, even for him. He had to admit that he was looking forward to working on such an exciting and important project with others who were the very best in their field.

The mansion was even more remote than it had appeared on the maps. The car had left the main road a long time ago and was now winding down narrow country lanes that all looked exactly the same.

"I didn't think there was anywhere so unpopulated left in the south of England," Leon said. "Especially not with all the flooding in recent decades."

"Me neither, and this land all seems dry for the most part too, although I suppose we have had a fairly dry spring this year."

"Relatively speaking," Leon agreed. "Oh, it looks like we've finally arrived."

The car drove up through two tall pillars which seemed to be taking the place of gate posts, although there was no sign of a barrier now. Arthur craned his neck around to attempt to see out of the car window.

"I could swear those were huge statues," he said. "Very worn though, so the shape wasn't clear, but they seemed to be human shaped."

"This place is exceptionally old I hear, and still fully, privately owned. Anyone who's into architectural history is going to get a rare treat this weekend. Impressive gardens here too, apparently."

"That _does_ sound interesting," Arthur replied. "I mean, I'm hardly an expert, but I do find old buildings fascinating."

"Yes," Leon agreed with a nod, his gaze now on the grand house they were now approaching. "Talking of which..."

They pulled up on the main drive in front of the impressive looking building, and their driver casually waved the pair towards the house before going to the boot to collect their bags. Another man met them at the front door before leading them through a large entrance hall and up the stairs to their rooms for the weekend. Arthur didn't see their host or the other guests on his way up, but guessed most had arrived already by the numerous, casual sounds he could hear as they made their way through the house; a running shower to one side, some music on the other. However, it was still only late afternoon and they were now able to relax for a while before getting ready for the evening's party.

The building was very impressive and reeked of history as Leon had guessed, with ancient stone or wood panelled walls covered with numerous paintings, and beautiful old furniture in every room and corridor. A large, impressive staircase with the most exquisitely carved wooden bannisters lead them up to the first floor, and the room Arthur was shown to was a decent size, despite its general age and expected beamed ceilings. Fortunately, there was only one place in his room where he needed to duck his head, with the proportions here much better than he'd encountered in similar-aged buildings elsewhere.

After a shower and a change of clothes, Arthur watched a little television and then made his way downstairs for the evening, curious as to what he would find and who he would meet.

~o~0~o~

The social room Arthur was shown too looked to be in an especially old part of the building. It was a huge open hall, with large ancient wooden pillars and beams on the ceilings which were dark with age and smoke.

"It's amazing," he whispered as he gazed upwards.

"Yes, an old medieval banqueting Hall," Leon said, coming up to him. "Impressive, isn't it?"

"It really is." Arthur looked around then. "Do you know anyone here?"

"A few people. I'll introduce you." Leon waved at another tall guy, this one very much broader than himself. "This is Peter, he's going to be working on the computer side of the project. Peter, this is Archie."

"Computers?" Arthur asked sceptically as he looked up at him. "Really? I'd have thought you'd actually be _building_ the thing."

Percival grinned at his comment. "Na, I just spend a lot of time at the gym. Seeing how little exercise I get at work normally."

"Fair enough, but you'll not get much of a chance here, I suppose."

"Are you kidding? There's a gym here in this house. And a swimming pool."

"Really?"

"Yes and also over where we'll be working," Leon added.

"Near the University or at it?" Arthur asked.

"I gather there's a building and accommodation being build especially for this project, which will be gifted back to the University afterwards," Percival replied. "Look, the room's filling up now, isn't it? Are we just to mingle and get to know each other that way, or is there going to be a host?"

"Guy's coming, isn't he?" Leon asked. "I mean this project is his and Emrys' baby, and they're the ones who helped get the team together."

"Yes, I think he's going to be here." Arthur looked around a bit more and smiled. "And nice to see there are plenty of ladies on the team."

"True." Leon agreed also noting the group of three girls talking seriously near the main window. "And we're all quite a young team apart from the two founders. I feel quite old compared to everyone else here."

"Old?"

"Well, I'm thirty but, by the look of it, most here are younger."

"Is it just the team here this weekend, or are any of the politicians coming?" Percival asked.

"God, I hope not," Arthur mumbled under his breath and then, louder. "The Prime Minister isn't. I know that for certain."

"What about the opposition leader, that Natalie woman?" Leon asked. "She's on Guy's side, isn't she?"

"I believe she's very keen on the project, yes," Arthur answered carefully. He was now becoming distracted by the little group of ladies who were now getting their drinks topped up. Well, one lady in particular, to be honest. He was seriously debating going over and introducing himself but didn't want to appear _too_ keen.

Percival and Leon were now deep in conversation about the house and this Hall in particular and Arthur was only half listening – still distracted by the pretty brunette and trying not to stare too obviously – when he suddenly became aware of someone standing close to his shoulder.

"Hello."

The quiet voice quickly caught his attention and he turned around to be confronted by a pair of blue eyes rather closer than he expected, on a young man who was about his height but very much slimmer.

"Hi," he replied, taking a small step back to preserve his personal space. "Ah, I'm Archie."

"Hello, Archie. My name's Martin."

Arthur looked at the dark haired man in front of him wearing a blue shirt and an odd red scarf around his neck and frowned, trying to come to terms with the nagging feeling of familiarity. "Do I know you?"

"Not 'know' as such, but I suppose you might recognise me," Merlin replied calmly. "I went to Imperial College too."

"So, you recognise _me_?"

He nodded. "You are _very_ noticeable."

"I am?" Merlin's cheeks and ears quickly turned pink and Arthur smiled smugly, quite certain from his reaction that the young man fancied him. "Good to know," he continued with a cheeky grin.

Merlin coloured even more and turned away, looking around the room at the others. "Met everyone yet?" he asked.

"No, just the two tall ones, Len and Peter."

Merlin nodded. "I can introduce you to a couple of others, if you like?"

"Yes?"

"Yeah. What about Jennifer, have you met her yet?"

"Ah, which one is she?"

"The one you've been constantly sneaking glances at since I first arrived."

Arthur glared at the young man who was now smirking back at him, surprised at such casual banter from someone who'd appeared so self conscious just a minute before. However, before such an introduction could happen, another young man came over with a broad grin, confidently introducing himself as Gavin, before launching into an enthusiastic conversation about the party and his specific role in the project.

"Ah, and here's Guy," Gwaine said a few minutes later. "I wondered where he'd got to."

"Ah good. It looks as if everyone's arrived now," Gaius said as he entered the room. "Well, all but one."

"Yes, where _is_ Lord Emrys?" one of the other ladies asked.

"I'm afraid he won't be joining us this evening," Gaius replied. "Although I'm sure you'll all get a chance to talk to him at some point this weekend."

"I wonder why he's not coming," Gwaine whispered as an aside.

"He's a bit of a recluse, isn't he?" Merlin replied. "Probably too many people here for his liking."

"That may well be the case," Arthur said. "But, I hear he went to London for a number of meetings so he can't be _that_ afraid of crowds."

"Hmm, probably not much choice if he wanted the government's support," Merlin said.

"I suppose not."

"Who... is... that?" Gwaine's voice had taken on a very different tone and Arthur saw both he and Merlin staring at the doorway with their mouths open.

He turned towards the door to see who had got their attention and groaned. "Oh no, what 's _she_ doing here?" he complained.

"You know her?" Gwaine asked.

"I can't believe Guy actually asked her along. What was he thinking?"

She was dressed to be noticed. If it was possible for his half-sister to ever _not_ be noticed. Her dress was bright red and both short and low cut. She noticed Arthur and her smile turned even more wicked as she walked slowly towards him; hips and long, dark hair swaying.

"What are you doing here, Moira?" he asked as she approached.

"I go by the name of _Morgan_ now, Archie, as you well know," she replied haughtily, with a slur in her voice that made him suspect that she'd been mixing her pills again. She then looked at his companions, her gaze passing over the handsome Gwaine and falling instead in the rather less conventional features of the slimmer man.

"This is my half-sister Moira who, as she says, has decided that her given name's not good enough for her."

"Shut it, Archie-"

"Right, fine... Morgan, this is Gavin and..."

"-Merlin?" she interrupted, her gaze suddenly much more focused and rather surprised. "I know you, don't I? You're like me."

The young man gaped at her.

"His name is _Martin_," Arthur replied, rolling his eyes. "And so far he seems pretty sane, so I can't say I see any comparison."

Morgana wasn't paying him any attention though, her focus still entirely on Merlin.

"You _are_ like me, aren't you?" she pushed.

"Perhaps," he answered carefully, head tipped to one side. "How did you recognise me?"

"I'm..." She paused, suddenly frowning as she considered this. "I'm not sure I just... felt that we'd met somewhere before."

"And I'm Gavin," the other man repeated, apparently not used to being ignored by attractive young ladies.

"Hi," she replied without looking at him, her attention still fully on the slimmer man. She smiled seductively then, reaching out to grab his wrist. "Let's go and grab a drink, Martin."

"I think you'll find that you're wasting your time with this one, sister dear," Arthur said with a smirk. "Why don't you go and play with someone else."

She looked Merlin up and down very slowly and, to his surprise, the young man turned just as pink as he had when Arthur had appraised him earlier.

"Now then, Archie reckons he has an eye for when girls _and_ boys fancy him," Morgana said. "But I'd say you're definitely interested in me too, am I right?"

"Are we _really_ going to have this conversation?" Merlin said, looking around self-consciously.

"What do such things matter nowadays," Gwaine said. "Call it idle curiosity. Gay, Bi or Straight?"

"And what is it with all these labels?" Merlin continued, now apparently a bit cross. "Who I do or don't like is my own business."

"So, I _don't_ get my drink?" Morgana asked with a pout.

"Perhaps." He looked at her more closely. "Seeing we're all being so personal here, perhaps I should ask what other stimulants you're on before I hand you any alcohol?"

"Ha!" Arthur said, more than a little impressed that Merlin had worked it out so quickly. Since having met him, Morgana had sobered up considerably.

"I'll have a rum and cola," she replied as she pulled Merlin over towards the small bar area.

"With just as little cola as possible, I expect," Arthur commented with a grin at Gwaine as the pair moved away.

The other man shook his head sadly as he watched the pair walk away. "The poor boy doesn't stand a chance," he decided.

~o~0~o~


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Early Twenty-First Century**

"What a wonderful invention the internet is," Merlin mused as he sat in his bedroom at home with his latest new machine in front of him. "A desktop Crystal Cave for every home."

He had first become acquainted with computers as far back as the 1950s when news reached him of the new machines. By finding ways to get himself hired for certain specialised jobs, signing up for courses and ultimately teaching himself, Merlin continued to hone his skills and improve his knowledge over the decades. Since then, new technology had allowed computers to shrink to a size where they could fit onto a desk, and the process was ongoing.

And, right now, Merlin was using the new World Wide Web to his advantage, making sure all paper and online records for two generations of his current family were up to date; both for the elderly lord Emrys, and the middle-aged lecturer who was applying for a job at the same college as Gaius would be attending. None of the other seven from the original Table had been born yet, although Merlin's crystal visions were hinting that some of the other souls were around. Unfortunately, unless he actually bumped into them or had an especially clear vision, it was unlikely he'd discover who they were until the Circle had opened fully. Luckily, as soon as Arthur arrived, all these characters would start to be drawn inexorably towards each other and, at that point, it would be easy to find them.

Gaius had been born into one of the old, upper class families with a private school education and relations who were all heavily involved in the government in one way or another. His father wanted him to go into politics, whilst Gaius was interested in history, and so eventually, after a lot of angry words and threats from both sides, a compromise was reached and he was now applying for a course in ancient languages.

Merlin couldn't believe his luck when he heard the news. That would be an easy job for him to get. After all, there was no greater expert on the planet than Emrys.

~o~0~o~

Gaius drifted a little once he'd graduated university, as many young people tended to in those days, and Merlin only received the occasional Christmas card from his old student. Merlin kept up with news of him and other souls he'd encountered via the crystals _and_ more modern means, moving between his own mansion and the flat he kept in central London and continuing to ensure he made the right contacts as this slightly younger version of himself. As usual, he allowed the previous, elderly version of himself to pass on and started to make plans for the birth of the next generation of his family; the boy who would hopefully befriend Arthur and his friends.

It was some years later when Merlin next heard from Gaius and he responded quickly to the summons, making his way through a now-all-too-common torrential downpour to meet with him at a coffee shop near to their old college.

"What was so important that you had to drag me out in this weather, Guy?" he complained.

Merlin now looked about sixty and was working hard to make sure that those he met would see him getting gradually older. He remained fairly vague about his age when asked though, as he was hoping to still be able to play the part of Emrys when Arthur was a young man.

"Well, it _is_ about the weather, as it happens," Gaius replied. "You've heard all about these new flood prevention initiatives?"

Merlin shrugged. "I seem to remember hearing something about a barrier for the Severn?"

"Yes, yes... but I really don't think that's going to work, and then there's the old Thames barrier failing and..."

"Hang on," Merlin interrupted. "What's all this about weather and flood defences? What happened to my star student who was so interested in languages and history?"

Gaius winced. "Well, Father pushed me into politics immediately after graduation, which is not really my thing, as you know. And, from there, I sidestepped into the civil service which was almost as bad. However, after my grandparents got flooded out of their home in both 2007 _and_ 2014, I decided that I wanted to be a part of the solution. So... I got my father to pull a few strings and-"

"-Right... I see," Merlin said. Although he didn't really. "But why did you want to see _me_?"

"Because our concerns are being ignored at every turn, and my father's string-pulling will only go so far. However, I thought that seeing _you're_ in the House of Lords and have the Prime Minster's ear that perhaps you could... I mean I hoped you might consider... pulling a few strings of your own."

Merlin stared at him. "You found out about that?"

Gaius grinned. "I did. It was a surprise, I must admit. What are you doing lecturing when you have such influential friends in exceptionally high places?"

"I get easily bored," Merlin replied offhandedly.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Gaius continued. "I'm definitely not complaining, as your lectures were the most interesting I attended by far. But, yes, I had no idea that your family line was even more ancient than mine."

Merlin laughed at that, quite unable to think of a suitable reply.

"Well, Guy, no promises, but I shall do my best. I happen to agree with you that something needs to be done about the changes in the weather. It's not as if this country can afford to loose large amounts of land every winter, after all. Not with the population increasing so rapidly."

"Yes, I hoped you'd understand. I was confident that you'd see it too. And I looked at the map and noticed that your family seat isn't too far from the Severn, so it'll also help you in the long run."

"Well, leave it with me then, but no promises, as I said. It's never an easy task persuading the government to do anything, especially if it looks like costing them large amounts of money.

~o~0~o~

**Emrys Mansion **

**June 2059**

"Perhaps you would like to take the drinks somewhere a little quieter?" Merlin asked Morgana as they moved away from Arthur and Gwaine. He could sense her magic from here and knew she was currently barely in control of it.

"Why?" she asked with a cheeky grin, obviously thinking he had some other agenda. "What were you planning on doing to me?"

He shook his head. "I just thought we should talk about... things and how it was you recognised me."

She shrugged and automatically followed him out of the door. "I don't know. I must have seen your picture somewhere."

Merlin gave a little laugh in response, always amused at how people justified the familiar feeling they experienced whenever they met him. This was different though, as Morgana had both known his true name and sensed something deeper in a way none of her previous incarnations had.

"Here this is a bit cooler and quieter, isn't it?" he said as they reached the corridor.

He took her hand in order to better focus on her magic and try to find out what it felt quite so volatile. She of course, had no objection to such contact, even using it as an excuse to move closer, her own hand now on his other arm as he tried to get a sense of her magically.

Merlin was perfectly used to Morgana being moody and unpredictable in _all_ her guises, but it seemed to him that there was more going on here than the usual. He could definitely sense magic in her but it was erratic; pulsing and then fading in a way he had never seen or sensed before. Then again, he hadn't encountered _anyone_ with significant levels of magic for many decades and the fact that hers was quite so strong, albeit untrained and unpredictable, was really piquing his interest. Checking again to ensure they were quite alone, Merlin shifted his grip on her hand so he was holding her wrist and concentrated, trying to see if he could sense what was going on.

"Taking my pulse?" she whispered, grabbing his free hand. "Try here instead." And she put it firmly on her exposed cleavage, instantly distracting Merlin as the contact brought back all sorts of interesting memories. "Do you think my heart rate's a bit fast?" she continued with a very cheeky smile. "I'd blame that on you, really. You do look so very sexy when you're concentrating."

"Not now, Morgana."

She laughed brightly. "It's Morgan. You know, like Morgan le Fey?"

He was again distracted from the task at hand, pausing his magical exploration and looking at her curiously. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you choose that name?"

"Oh, I've always been fascinated by the Arthurian legends and with Morgan especially. The myth and the magic and everything about it."

"So, _that's_ why you called me Merlin just now?"

She frowned. "Did I? Sorry."

"it's fine." He attempted to get back to the task at hand.

"What about you, Martin?" she pushed. "Have you read any of the books? Seen any of the films?"

He scoffed. "Yes, I've read and watched them all... unfortunately."

"Really? Don't you like them?"

"Half of them are completely wrong whilst the others are just..." He shook his head.

"Wrong?"she asked. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Morgan, serious question now. What pills have you taken today?"

She shrugged. "Oh, nothing really bad. Just some of that new stuff – Nectar?"

"Never heard of that one."

"It's not really hard or dangerous. It just... you know, gives you a bit of a rush."

"You really shouldn't take anything like that with your…" He hunted for the best word to use.

"Illness? Affliction?..." Her voice developed a distinct edge to it. "...Mental impairment?"

"I'm serious, Morgan."

"What? A doctor now, are you?"

"I'm just trying to help."

It had taken him quite a few minutes but he'd finally managed to focus on the task at hand and had purged most of the drugs from her system, which meant that her magic was now starting to settle down a bit. Merlin knew only too well what these substances did to magic users, as he'd experienced it first-hand when he'd experimented with drugs during the twentieth century. In fact, he'd got _so_ carried away back in the spring of 1976 that the country ended up experiencing one of the worst droughts in recorded history a few months later.

Never again.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked her.

"Far too sober for my liking." She took a long swig of her drink.

Merlin sighed and shook his head. "I suppose that is the lesser of the two evils, but don't overdo it, will you?"

She glared at him. "You sound like my father."

He raised an eyebrow. "Now, that's just rude,"

"No, you're quite right," she said, now smiling. "That _is_ unfair. No-one's as bad as Euan, and you're definitely far better looking."

Merlin frowned. "I think you must still be a bit high."

"Na, just a bit... horny." She licked her lips and looked up at him coyly.

"What?"

"The rooms here are nice, don't you think? How about you show me _your_ bedroom."

"We.. ah, really should be getting back to the party," he said, eyeing the nearby door.

"But that's so boring."

He tried a different approach. "I really don't want to risk loosing my job."

She sighed. "We'll go back in a few minutes then, but don't think for a moment I'm letting you off completely. I need to prove to my brother that you swing both ways."

"I am _not_ your experiment, Morgan."

She quickly turned on him, suddenly angry. "But it's quite all right for me to be yours? What did you do to me back there, anyway?"

Merlin shook his head, trying to keep up with her wild changes of mood. He really should be used to them by now, but somehow, after all these years and numerous reincarnations, she _still_ managed to catch him off guard most of the time. And she was _always_ able to push his buttons, even when she didn't know who he really was.

And, as if reading his mind, Morgana suddenly pounced, throwing her arms around him and kissing him soundly. Merlin was torn between wondering if she was relapsing, savouring the delightful sensations, or pulling away and checking for a concealed weapon.

That incident here on this very spot, one and a half thousand years ago, still haunted his dreams.

"_A dagger in the belly seemed like justice to me. It felt like the perfect revenge for some reason. I'm not sure why." _He shuddered at the memory.

And there had been other incidences too. None quite as violent, fortunately, but still happening often enough for his nerves to be perfectly justified. Bringing Morgana onto the Round Table in Gwaine's stead during the very first Circle reopening had appeared to herald a change of direction for her, but it still always felt like a constant battle – forever trying to keep her on his side and away from the darkness – and, despite his very great gifts of foresight, Merlin had to admit that he had no idea if he'd ever be able to fully heal her or help her soul to find the peace it craved.

"_My doom in this life, but my destiny in the next,"_ she had once said.

Back then Morgana had shown more knowledge of the future than he had, but then that was hardly surprising as she had been a seer long before he had acquired the skill. Saying that, she hadn't _quite_ got it right, even then. 'My destiny in _all_ my next lives,' would have been more accurate, and Merlin had remained her doom in quite a few of them too, unfortunately.

"_Maybe this time,"_ he thought, still kissing her passionately.

"What on earth do you two think you're doing!"

Merlin quickly turned around to see Arthur staring at them both with a stunned expression and started to back away nervously. However, the blond's initial shock quickly changed to resignation.

"Put him down, Moira, you don't know where he's been."

Her mood switched again, the lights in the corridor flickering violently as she turned to confront her brother.

"_Morgan_, Archie! My name is Morgan and it's no business of yours whom I kiss."

He shook his head, sadly. "Perhaps you should go to your room whilst Martin returns to the party. _Some_ of us are trying to take this job seriously."

"You're ruining it, Archie," she snarled, moving so close to her brother that their noses almost touched. Merlin was impressed that Arthur didn't even flinch. "You _always_ ruin it," she continued, turning away without even glancing in Merlin's direction. "You always come and take away my toys!"

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N:** Again a casual reference to a conversation in 'All Our Secrets' which has become canon in my head now, to be honest, as well as a little something from book 2 of this story. Nothing you really need to have read to keep up with things though._


	5. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** The stables scene in this chapter was inspired by a manip done by Wil1969 way back in November 2012 which has been nagging me to write something for it all this time. This story was initially written just to accommodate it. Find it on my Tumblr page or via the link on my PP._

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Emrys Manor – June 2059**

Merlin really wanted to check up on Morgana after her outburst, but Arthur didn't give him much of a chance, pulling him impatiently back towards the main Hall.

"You said you'd introduce me," the blonde man insisted, moving him over to one side of the room.

"What? Oh, to Jen. Yes, of course," Merlin replied, as he was even more physically manhandled towards Gwen.

"Oh, hello, Martin. Where did you disappear to?" the young lady asked as they approached. Then she saw Arthur and froze, and Merlin tried not to laugh as he noted her slight confusion and the obvious sense of familiarity.

"Jen, this is Archie who's an engineer," Merlin said. "Jennifer's going to work with me programming weather models in the computer and perhaps designing any new systems we might need."

"Jennifer?" Arthur blinked, also wrestling with the feeling of familiarity. "That's a lovely name."

She smiled shyly. "Thanks."

"And you'll _never_ guess," Merlin continued with a broad grin. "I was looking at the personnel file for this project and noticed something really interesting about you two."

Arthur raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Prying into private documents, were we, Martin?"

"They're hardly private," he replied lightly. "Anyway, as I was saying, it seems you two share a birthday."

"Really, you were born on the ninth of September?"he asked Gwen.

"Yes," she replied quietly. "What a coincidence."

"The same year too," Merlin continued gleefully, delighted to be able to share the exciting news with someone after almost twenty-three years. He had been exceptionally excited when he'd realised Arthur and Guinevere had been born on the very same day.

And now, right on cue, came the third point of the triangle.

"Oh, Archie, I want you to meet my very good friend, Landon," Gwen said. "Landon this is Archie and, you know Martin, of course."

Lancelot laughed. "But, of course. It's nice to meet you, Archie."

"It seems everyone here knows everyone else already," Arthur commented.

"Not _everyone_," Merlin replied. "But some people have met up with a couple of others over the years, it's true."

Inevitable really, when the Round Table had a constant influence on its members, always pulling them into its orbit.

"And how did _you_ two meet?" Arthur asked Gwen and Lancelot

"Oh, we went to school together," she replied brightly. "Childhood sweethearts and all of that."

"You're going out together?" Arthur asked.

"Well we _were_ but, not any more," Gwen replied brightly.

"Really?" Arthur appeared confused and surprised at this, seeing the two were obviously so friendly, but then, from what Merlin knew, his love affairs tended to be brief and the break ups always brutal.

"Oh, we're still best friends," Lancelot confirmed. "We just felt it wouldn't work – what with us being so young - and so we decided to focus on our careers first."

"_We_ decided?" Gwen asked him, with a raise of an eyebrow, and her friend shrugged, sheepishly.

Lancelot, typically, had been the one who'd decided he wasn't good enough for her, and that sticking around might tempt his friend not to follow her educational dreams. Merlin knew Gwen well enough in _all_ her incarnations to understand that she wouldn't let being in love prevent her from being herself.

She had accepted the offer of 'just good friends' with typical grace and seemed happy enough without him. Could it really be possible that the three of them might find some sort of peace this time around?

He shook his head as he left the trio to their conversation. "Still the optimist, after all this time, Merlin? " he mumbled to himself.

It always felt wonderful when all nine members of the Round Table were back in the same room, but there were others here at this party too. A few satellite souls who were occasionally brought into orbit, plus some random people who simply had the skills they needed at this time. Elena was here, as were Gilli and Mithian, and it seemed that whenever he turned around Merlin saw another old soul from his long distant past. He couldn't help but wonder why there seemed to be quite so many turning up this time around.

And Morgana, it seemed, was now a permanent member of the Circle, having appeared every single time so far; perhaps because of the place she'd been awarded back in King Æthelstan's time, or perhaps because her soul had some unfinished business of its own. Considering what Merlin already knew of _this_ Morgana, he suspected the latter.

In fact, there was only one key player who Merlin had not yet come across. Mordred. And, despite what had happened last time around, that fact was making him very nervous indeed.

~o~0~o~

Merlin rarely drunk alcohol because, like drugs, it tended to mess with his magic and threatened to expose him as a result. Anyway, nothing gave him the same high as actually using said magic, so he rarely saw the point. However, his own experiences of various stimulants at various times during his long life _had_ taught him how to purge them from his system, as he'd just demonstrated on Morgana. Perhaps this time he could help her properly, although it was frustrating that he'd been distracted during her childhood when she'd first shown signs of strange behaviour and hadn't been close enough to her branch of the family to effectively intervene.

Was it too late again? Was this _always_ to be their fate? Surely this time he could be there for her, considering these unique circumstances. Hopefully _he_ would be the one she'd ultimately turn towards rather than Morgause. Merlin had kept a close eye on _that_ soul recently and so far there was no sign of the two of them connecting. Hopefully he could keep Morgana away from both Morgause and Mordred when he finally appeared.

The lack of alcohol in his system meant Merlin was able to wake up at dawn as usual and he quickly dressed in grey jeans and a light shirt and headed down to the stables to muck out the horses, whilst Arthur and the rest of them slept on.

Yes, very little had changed in that regard, except for the fact that it was Merlin who now owned the horses, the stables, this manor house and all the land surrounding it. He smiled as he got on with this early morning chore - whistling to himself - happy to have everyone back where they belonged. The country was enjoying a rare dry spell this summer which meant the heat was already starting to build. It was a good opportunity for river levels to return to normal (whatever that meant in this day and age) and was promising as far as starting any flood defence work this autumn was concerned. Merlin rubbed his hand across his brow with a sigh, starting to struggle in the rising temperature, and stripped off his shirt in order to continue the task in more comfort.

"What did you do to me, Martin?" Morgana strode into the stables wearing dark jeans and a white vest t-shirt.

"Me?" he asked, putting on an innocent air.

"Don't try that on me. I know you somehow sobered me up."

"And you're awake quite early I see. Trouble sleeping?"

"No, actually. For once I slept quite well."

He grinned at her broadly. "Glad to have helped."

"What? You think that was you? It wasn't. The only way I can sleep properly now is with a little help."

"Vicious circle, drugs are, especially with your… abilities."

She moved like lightening, snatching the fork from his hand and throwing it to one side before pushing hard at his chest until his back hit the brick wall of the stable.

"What would _you_ know of it?" she hissed.

"Ow, Morgana!" He tried to push her back but she grabbed his wrists and pinned them over his head, pushing her own body against him.

"Tell me what you did!" she demanded.

"You were the one who announced to the whole Hall that I was like you." He wriggled slightly, but she held him firmly and he suddenly became very aware of their position. One of her legs was between his and her breasts were now pushed up against his naked chest. Her face was now exceptionally close to his now and Merlin licked his lips, quite unable to stop thinking of the kiss they'd shared the previous night. "Thanks for that, by the way," he continued, as calmly as he could. "Good job no-one was paying attention."

"You really do have the same problem?" she asked. Her voice was now softer but she stayed where she was, her fingers very gently caressing his wrists as she held him firmly. "You... make things happen?

"Yes."

"And do you... see things sometimes? Visions? Both waking and sleeping."

"From time to time."

"But you're... so..."

"Yes?"

"...ordinary."

His amusement at that comment simply annoyed her enough to tighten her grip and push herself closer. He groaned and she smiled, relishing the effect she was having on him. Despite being determined to resist, he couldn't help moving his head slightly towards her, searching for a kiss.

"Not until you answer my question," she threatened. "What did you do?"

"I purged the drugs from your system," he admitted.

"How?"

"What we have is not an illness, Morgan, you know that, don't you?"

She nodded. "I begun to understand something of the problem in my teens. Stopped taking my medication to see what would happen."

"What _did_ happen?"

"I went back to falling into the strange trances I'd experienced as a child and, although I couldn't always remember them, I was often able to record certain elements in drawings in the days afterwards. I tried to hide it all from my father but I wasn't always successful and he, of course, kept trying to get me back into therapy."

"But Guy thinks you can help us on this project."

"Guy's even crazier than I am."

He shook his head. "You're not crazy, Morgan and neither is he. You can help us here. We _need_ your assistance, in fact."

"How do you know this?"

"Guy has helped me too. Him _and_ Lord Emrys."

She shook her head. "That old fool scares me."

Merlin smiled slightly, "I know. Look, can you let me go now? My arms are aching."

"You started to answer my question though?"

"Yes, and I'll do my best to keep answering any others you may have."

She grinned. "Then I should thank you. Very few people have ever been honest with me, and that includes Guy and Lord Emrys."

Then she kissed him, still holding his wrists, and making sure she rubbed just as much of her body up against his in the process. It felt exactly as he remembered it from before. Better even. Her magic was exceptionally strong and Merlin could feel it wrapping around his own, like flames dancing over the logs on a fire.

When she finally released him, Merlin knew his cheeks were bright red.

"There," she declared. "I knew Archie had it wrong about you."

"Perhaps I just have my own special label," he replied a little defensively. "Perhaps there are only certain people I'm drawn to in that way."

"Really? You're attracted to me because we share the same..."

"...gift? Perhaps."

"And Archie?" she asked slyly. "I've seen the way you look at him."

Merlin shrugged "Perhaps it's more that I'm attracted to those whose destiny I share."

"Destiny?" Morgana said with the type of genuine smile he had so rarely seen from her in _any_ incarnation. "Really? Aren't you the romantic one."

~o~0~o~

**London 2039**

"Thank you for coming at such short notice, Lord Emrys," Gaius said as he let Merlin into a rather grand house in the suburbs of north London.

"Well, your message sounded urgent," Merlin replied. "And you know I'm always happy to help a former student."

"I think they've made a terrible mistake," Gaius begun before he'd barely set foot in the house.

"Who have? What mistake?"

"The Severn barrier," Gaius continued. "The government chose to go with the cheapest option, of course, and at the time I didn't think much of it, assuming that any solution would be better than nothing."

"But..?"

"It's going to make things worse."

"Really? But the Thames one has worked fine for decades."

He shook his head. "That's a different river and a completely different system."

"And so..?"

Gaius frowned. "Actually, I don't have any proper evidence to back my theory up, which I urgently need to get, and yet I do have a 'source' of sorts, even though I can't exactly use it to convince the government as it stands."

"So you want me to review your findings and help 'pull a few strings' again?" Merlin asked.

Gaius winced. "Possibly but, in this case, I'm looking for your input as a language specialist."

Merlin stared at him. "I don't understand."

"Please take a seat. I've a recording to show you." Gaius poured Merlin a drink and they settled down in front of the large screen. "You see, I'm often asked to babysit my niece, mostly because her mother won't trust her health issues to many people."

"She's sick?"

"That's what her family believes – her father especially. She's prone to these strange fits and draws some very odd things at times. But then there are the trances."

"Trances?"

"She's just five you see..."

Gaius pointed the remote at the screen and a recording of a small girl talking started to play. However, despite her very young age, the voice coming out of her mouth was that of a woman, using words Merlin had not heard for centuries.

"I missed the beginning of that," he said, gaping at the screen in disbelief.

"Yes, I know," Gaius replied, putting it back to the beginning. "I started recording just as soon as I could, but there wasn't much warning. One minute Moira was talking and playing normally and the next she launched into this speech. I don't recognise the language she's speaking as such, but certain words seemed familiar and, along with her comments in English afterwards, I realised-"

"-again please," Merlin said as he leant forward and listened intently to the words spoken in the language he had not heard since he'd lived in Camelot. A small, five year old girl, talking in Morgana's voice with Morgana's words,

"_...and the west will be subject to flood after flood until a great dam is built to stop the water. But this will be badly done and will cause a far greater evil. For the valley will flood, as will the cave, and magic shall disappear from the land forever."_

Merlin stood up abruptly. "I _have_ to go home," he announced, his eyes wild.

"But, did you understand what she said?" Gaius called after him. "What language was it? Was it about the flood moving onto somewhere far more important?"

"Yes," Merlin replied, putting on his coat.

"But, what's happening to Moira? Why is she getting these visions? And why does she speak in that voice and that language?"

"I will come back and help with that as soon as I can, I promise," Merlin called back over his shoulder as he left. "I do need to meet the girl and her parents and try and reassure them all but, right now, I have to go to the Severn and see for myself. I have to be certain the valley is safe."

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N: **The comment about Mordred and 'what happened last time around' is, in fact, referring to his previous reincarnation which we've not visited yet. So, the lack of explanation given here is deliberate, I'm afraid. Although you will find out more later on in this story_

_18/2/15_

_._


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

**Emrys Manor 2059**

This weekend gathering was only an initial meeting, with the flood defence work not due to start until September. Merlin was keen to take this opportunity to show his guests around his house and did so as the old man Emrys, explaining some of the history of the place and that it had been in his family for as long as anyone had records to prove such things.

"And it really is such an old building," Leon remarked.

"Indeed," Merlin replied, proudly. "Although rumour says there has been at least one other on this land before it."

_Two_ others in fact, and he'd lived in both of them.

"Aren't we missing a few people?" Gwen asked, looking around.

"Yes, I thought it easier to split everyone into two groups," Merlin explained. "As some of the rooms are a little small."

Although, of course, the real reason was so he could spend time solely with the other eight members of the Round Table.

"Oh, so Martin's in the _other_ group then, is he?" Arthur asked.

"Who?" Merlin asked, relishing the role of forgetful old man.

"You know, the tall, dark-haired one."

"Oh the lanky boy," Merlin waved a lazy hand in the air. "Saw him earlier. He said he was going for a walk. Ah now, you _really_ need to see this..."

He opened the door to the large room next to the Great Hall with a flourish, although the group didn't seem especially impressed at what they saw. Looking back into the room, Merlin realised he'd forgotten that the centrepiece of the room was currently covered with a dull cloth.

"Oh, I meant _this_," he said, hobbling forward to whip the sheet aside. "It is, without question, the oldest thing in this building. Many centuries older than the house itself. Why, it's even older than I am!"

His guests laughed politely at his joke, although they had no idea just how close in age he really was to this ancient piece of stone.

"It's amazing!" Leon said.

"Beautiful," Gwen agreed.

"What do those symbols mean?" Percival asked.

"It is in a very old language," Merlin replied. "Long forgotten."

"Now then, Lord Emrys, I don't believe _that_ for a moment," Gaius said. "I know very well you're the world's foremost authority in ancient tongues."

Merlin simply smiled slyly and made no comment. The table was already imposing its special brand of magic on the souls here, he noticed, pulling them gently towards it and, more specifically, to their true places. This had happened in every time period and every incarnation, the circle only fully opening as all nine members stood in their positions around it. He smiled broadly, feeling something click and, this time, he was sure it seemed louder and more powerful than ever before.

"What on earth...!"

They all turned to the open doorway to see Morgana standing there, staring at them with a stunned expression. She blinked and shook her head as if dizzy.

"What's going on?" she asked. "What am I seeing?"

"I don't know, my dear," Merlin said, moving towards her. "What do you _think_ you're seeing?"

"Lots of people..." She shook her head again. "No, lots of different versions of _these_ people."

"Tell me," he asked gently, waving a hand at the others and silently ordering them to remain quiet.

"I see Guy wearing long robes and with long hair. Most of the men are wearing chain-mail and... there are other versions, slightly different faces and ages and heights." She moved closer, frowning at her half-brother. "Except Archie who's _always_ the same. Always Arthur."

"Oh, here we go again with the Arthurian legends," her brother said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, we do have the Round Table," Gwaine joked.

She nodded. "Yes, yes, that's it. _That's_ what I'm seeing. It _is_ the Round Table. The original one."

"Morgan..."

"King Arthur," she said pointing at her brother. "And Guinevere..."

"What?"

"And Gaius, Percival, Lancelot, Elyan, Gwaine and Leon."

"Those are _not_ the correct knights of the Round Table," Leon objected.

"What would you know?" she snapped. "You weren't there."

"Come and sit down, my dear," Merlin said. "Are you feeling dizzy?"

"And you're Merlin," she declared, not allowing herself to be lead. "But... you're not Merlin now... you're..."

He smiled. "I'm Emrys, yes."

"But..."

"I'm sorry about this, sir," Arthur said. "She always was a bit over enthusiastic about those legends."

Morgana spun around with a sound which was almost a snarl. "You don't speak for me, Archie! I _know_ what I'm seeing."

"This place is truly ancient and has seen many things," Merlin said, calmly. "And Morgan has chosen her name well. True vision or not, I think perhaps we should adopt the idea for ourselves, for are we not all knights embarking on a noble quest?"

"Yes," Morgana said. "I see it..."

"What?" Merlin pushed. "What do you see?"

"I see..." She then paused, her eyes rolling upwards and the tone of her voice changing. _"...Arthur and his knights will cause the waters to recede, but that is only one step on the journey to opening a new Circle."_

"She's talking that funny language again," Arthur said.

"What?" Merlin blinked, looking at the confused expressions in front of him before realising what he'd said was true. This wasn't Morgan talking in English, it was Morgana talking the language she'd uttered originally. Back when they'd all been truly young in Camelot.

"_Go on,"_ he said in the same tongue and heard Guy gasp as he did so. _"A new circle?"_

"_Yes, the waters recede and powerful magic is used for the first time in centuries. The Centre will rise, Avalon will fall and a new Circle will be created in place of the old. Rest then, Emrys. Rest all nine souls. For destiny has set you free and doom can no longer find you."_

She gasped once and turned towards Merlin. The confused gaze turned briefly focused and she snarled at him. _"Emrys! My doom!"_

"_No, my lady. No longer. We have forgiven each other, remember?"_

Again she blinked and Merlin was sure he could see all the other versions of Morgana dance within her green eyes. As her gaze again settled on him he knew that Moira was returning. _"Merlin?"_ she asked, still talking in the old language. _"Is that _really _you? The same you? Exactly as you were before?"_

"_Yes," _he answered._ "Our secret?_"

"_I understand,"_ she replied.

Then she fainted.

Everyone hurried forwards, with Gwen being the first to kneel by Morgan's side, looking up in concern. "Has this happened before?" she asked.

"Quite often when she was a child," Arthur replied. "But not since she was put on that medication."

Merlin scoffed. "A lot of good _that_ did."

"It helped."

Merlin gave him a long, hard look. "Who exactly?"

"Sorry?"

"Who did it help? It helped your father feel a bit better, perhaps? It certainly didn't help your sister."

"You shouldn't talk about him like that. Don't you know who he is?"

"I give respect only when it's earned," Merlin replied. "And my concern now is for young Morgan here."

"But you understood what she was saying," Percival said. "You spoke back to her."

He exchanged a glance with Guy who raised an eyebrow. "It's the language once spoken in this part of the world," Merlin answered carefully.

"At the time of King Arthur?" Leon asked, sceptically.

He smiled. "Ah but, when was that and are those stories history or legend? The tales have been retold so many times that their true origins are lost in the distant past."

"But my sister never studied languages," Arthur said. "And she was talking like that – in a grown woman's voice – when she was three. So, what's _really_ going on here and what was she saying?"

Merlin frowned. "I shall need to give her words some careful consideration, but she did say Arthur and his knights would help the water recede so, I suppose that's good news."

"What happened?" Morgana was waking up.

"Ah, back with us, my dear," Merlin said. "What do you remember?"

She sat up and blinked for a moment, taking in the scene before her. "I saw Arthur, Guinevere and the knights around that table and then..." She sighed. "I had one of my turns, didn't I?"

"I wouldn't call it that, exactly."

She turned to him with a small frown. "It's all Merlin's fault. I told him it wasn't a good idea to meddle with stuff he doesn't understand, but he wouldn't listen."

"Right... we have _Merlin_ now, do we?"

"Hush, Archie," Gwen said. "She's obviously still confused."

"I think the boy had the right idea," Merlin replied. "Self-medicating is most definitely _not_ the solution."

"Like you'd know." She started to stand up, glaring at the old man in front of her. "She doesn't trust you, you know."

"Who doesn't?"

"Morgan le Fey... Morgana. She's scared of you."

"Yes, I know."

She nodded. "_I_ don't trust you either. You've lied to me too often before."

"Well, I can't deny that. Why don't you take a walk, Morgan? I'm sure that will make you feel much better."

"That's probably a good idea."

"Well?" Arthur asked once she'd left.

"You're taking what she said very seriously, aren't you?" Lancelot said.

Merlin smiled and pointed to the table. "It is very ancient, as I said. And, to answer Guy's original question, I do have _some_ idea of what these symbols say." He moved over towards his own place. "This one for example, says 'magic'."

"Magic?" Arthur scoffed.

"Indeed and this table was around when such things were believed in. Perhaps that's what Morgan sensed. Perhaps we are all caught up in its ancient spell."

There was a long pause, finally broken by Gwaine's loud laugh.

"Ha! Good one, old man. I admit you had me going there for a minute. Certainly one up on the usual oujia boards and conjurer tricks you get at most parties. It really has been a most entertaining weekend."

~o~0~o~

**The Crystal Cave 2038**

Merlin knew the little girl's warning had been true just as soon as he entered the valley. Despite several dry days, the ground was soaking wet underfoot, and the mud made it almost impossible for him to move with any speed, The water was rapidly seeping up from the ground and, even worse, he could _feel_ something was wrong, as if the valley itself was objecting the situation.

"_And magic shall disappear from the land forever." _

That one sentence had been enough to send him scurrying west with hardly a word of explanation to Gaius. But, what could he have said? This version of his old mentor didn't have any magic. In fact he'd encountered no-one with the gift for very many years.

But perhaps that wasn't quite true, Merlin mused as he continued his cautious journey towards the Crystal Cave, perhaps there was someone else with the ability. That little girl, with pale skin and dark hair, talking in an ancient language. Was she Morgana's reincarnation? It was very likely but, unfortunately, it was impossible to tell from an image, no matter how life-like such pictures and videos were nowadays. To know for certain he would have to meet her in person and, despite the fact that the souls were usually reincarnated in similar looking bodies, Merlin had encountered enough exceptions to know it couldn't be relied on.

Moira _may_ have been speaking in Morgana's voice but she could just as easily be Morgause or Nimueh or even Mordred. It wasn't unheard of for one of the old souls to be reincarnated as the opposite sex and true seers could channel the voice of anyone if required.

But the mystery of Moira would have to be delayed because Merlin's attempt to cast a spell to travel through this mud with more ease had met with a worrying amount of resistance. The water was dulling the magic here somehow. He had no idea how or why that would be, but he was fairly certain it was the case and, if he couldn't get it to stop, the little girl's prophecy was likely to come to pass.

~o~0~o~

The waters continued to rise and Merlin battled to keep the cave dry, initially erecting force fields to keep the worst of the water out and using drying spells to evaporate the water that was already here. He checked the crystals too, although they were even more vague than usual, initially giving little away.

Merlin lost track of time for a while, working tirelessly to survey his land and put up both magical defences and physical drainage ditches in various places. By the time he _thought_ he'd discovered a more permanent solution, years had passed and he suddenly worried about the little girl and what had become of her. He needed to see her urgently and find out who she was and how much magic she may have. If she was Morgana or Nimueh then he _may _be able to persuade her to help, because it was now quite clear to him that a permanent solution to this problem could only be solved by having at least _two_ powerful magical beings deal with it.

On his own, even with all the magical and financial means at his disposal, he was quite powerless to stop the Crystal Cave being lost forever and all of the country's magic along with it.

~o~0~o~


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Emrys' Manor 2059**

Merlin answered his door to a soft knock.

"Morgan?"

"Hello, Martin. Can I come in?"

"Ah, well..."

Morgana walked in anyway, heading straight for his bed and perching on the edge. Then she placed a pad on her lap and paused for a moment, biting her lip. Merlin waited her out.

"You heard I had another episode?" she asked eventually.

"Yes, Guy said. What do you remember about it?"

"Not much, but I did start trying to draw it earlier."

His gaze drifted over to the pad. "Oh, may I see?"

She nodded and he came to sit next to her on the bed. There in front of him was a clear and beautifully accurate picture of the Round Table and the people who had been in that room earlier, dressed in the clothes they had originally worn. Merlin pointed to the young man to Arthur's right.

"That's me."

"And still wearing that strange scarf," she replied with a nod towards his current outfit.

"Hey, I like it."

She grinned at him. "I preferred what you were wearing this morning in the stables, to be honest. Or rather, what you _weren't_ wearing."

"Cheeky."

She looked more closely at her drawing. "I don't know what it is, but I'd have expected Queen Guinevere to have been wearing something more... glamorous."

"We were on the run at the time."

"What?"

Merlin shook his head. "Ah... nothing. I just mean..."

"Did you know I'd start having these visions again after you purged me of the drugs?"

"I suspected it. Why, have you not always complained about that?"

"Yes and although it is a little scary, it's also... interesting. I think perhaps, with Guy and Emrys' help I might discover more."

"Yes, you should definitely be part of this project."

She frowned. "That's what Guy says but I don't know why. I have no engineering or computing skills whatsoever."

"But you are still vital to our success. I _know_ you are."

"What? Now _you're_ having visions?"

He grinned. "I'm like you, remember? You said so yourself."

She nodded. "It is nice to have my episodes taken seriously. To have them described as a gift rather than an illness."

"Well, I can understand that."

There was a pause. "Show me something," she said suddenly. "Show me something _you_ can do."

He stared at her. "Really? Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Please."

With only a few more seconds pause, Merlin held out his hand and allowed a small flame to dance on his palm.

"Is it magic?" she asked.

"Yes."

To his very great surprise, Morgana didn't look at all shocked, simply smiling happily when he confirmed it and nodding. Merlin beamed back at her, feeling suddenly very light hearted.

_'For destiny has set you free and doom can no longer find you,' _she had said during her trance. Did that mean what he hoped it did? Was Morgana no longer any sort of threat? Could she really help him to save the Crystal Cave?

"I can teach you if you want?" he said then. "Teach you how to use and control your magic?"

"Would you?" She smiled again. "I'd like that." There was another long, but comfortable pause. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

"What?"

"Just to sleep, I promise."

"Ah... I suppose..."

She nodded. "Thank you. Somehow I feel so much calmer when I'm around you."

~o~0~o~

Merlin came back from the stables the following morning to find Morgana sitting up in bed and sketching something.

"You slept well?" he asked.

"Yes." She seemed surprised. "My sleep since I've been in this house has been really good."

"Only waking dreams then. Which is interesting."

"It feels... as if I've come home, somehow," she said. "It feels like I've been searching for this place for a very long time."

Merlin nodded. "I think perhaps you have."

"And we have to go home today?"

"Well, the others are already getting to leave, but you can stay if you like."

She looked up. "Could I?"

"Of course. I'm remaining here for a while too and it would be great if I could help you to harness that magic properly."

"Really? I'd like that, but why are _you_ staying here?"

He shrugged as he hunted for a good explanation. "Emrys and Guy are the only family I have now. They've offered to help me too. Why? Was there somewhere else you need to be?"

She shook her head. "No, and I'd be glad of the break. Glad of the chance to see if I can really live with these gifts and perhaps even discover what they mean."

"That would be good."

There was a pause. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For helping me."

He shrugged. "It's long overdue."

She got out of bed, only in her underwear and walked slowly and seductively towards him. Merlin instinctively took a step back, even as his eyes wandered unashamedly.

"As I said yesterday, I do like to reward those who help me," she said.

"Ah... perhaps, if we're working together, then this is not such a good idea," he suggested. "It could... complicate things."

"Why?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Does sex mess up our magic too?"

He felt his throat go dry at her casual mention of the word. "Ah... not as a rule. I just meant that not everyone can remain civil after a relationship like Jen and Landon have."

"That assumes there _is_ an afterwards," she retorted. "I think you might be worth keeping."

"Seriously? We only met a couple of days ago."

"Did we, Martin?" she asked, arching an elegant eyebrow. "Did we _really_?"

He smiled slightly. "Good point."

She kissed him soundly then, her hands quickly sliding under his T-shirt, whilst his also started to explore her bare skin. As enjoyable as this was though, he really did need to make an appearance as Emrys soon and say goodbye to his guests.

A loud knock on the door made the decision for him.

"Are you in there, Martin?" Arthur called out.

"Ah yes. I'll be right out."

"Only I can't find my sister anywhere."

Merlin winced, trying to think of an excuse. Next to him, Morgana smirked at his discomfort. "I'm in here, Archie."

"What!" That from both Merlin and Arthur.

The latter barged in to note her state of undress and Merlin's rather rumpled appearance.

"This is where you've been? You've been sleeping with him?"

"Yes!" she replied firmly.

"Morgan, we have not."

"We did sleep together," she disagreed, pointing to the bed.

"Yes but we didn't...ah..." Merlin looked up at Arthur, his cheeks pink.

The blond man shook his head. "I really don't think you know what you're letting yourself in for with this one, Martin."

"Hey, who I do or do not go out with is none of your concern," Morgan said.

"Go out with?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, Martin's my boyfriend now, aren't you?"

"I-I am?"

"Yes, and so I'm staying here with him for a while and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Arthur looked pleadingly at Merlin who shrugged.

"Emrys said we could both stay here until the project starts in September," he explained. "The old man wants a chance to talk to Morgan about her visions and try to help her."

"By encouraging her Arthurian fantasies and keeping her off her medication?"

"Hey!" Morgana complained. "In case you've forgotten, Archie, I am twenty-five years old and do not have to do what you or Dad tells me too. Lord Emrys offered and I've accepted. End of story."

"Martin?"

"She does have a point, and I think it's for the best, anyway."

"And you're now her boyfriend?" he asked, sceptically.

Merlin shrugged. "Ah, yes..?"

Morgana beamed at him whilst Arthur shook his head and turned to walk out of the door. "It'll all end in tears," he mumbled as he left.

"I really should go and say goodbye to everyone," Merlin said to her as she made to kiss him again. "But why don't you get dressed and come with me. You'll be working with them all in September, after all, and Jen in particular was very worried about you after yesterday."

Morgana shrugged. "All right. I rather liked her." She smiled at him as she moved to retrieve her clothes. "I'm glad we're together now. Somehow, _that_ feels right too. Just like being here in this house."

~o~0~o~

**London 2040**

"It was true what I said about the Severn Barrier, wasn't it?" Gaius asked Merlin when he returned to London after fully checking out the Valley and the surrounding area.

"Yes," Merlin replied abruptly. "Where's Moira?"

"I'm not really certain. With her parents, I expect. One or the other?"

"What do you mean?"

"They're separated and both travel a lot. Her father has not reacted well to her... illness and has taken her to every specialist possible in an attempt to cure her."

"What?" Merlin said. "She doesn't need doctors, she just needs to be listened to."

"I know, but Euan's a very stubborn man."

Merlin frowned. "Who is he? What does he do?"

"He's a minister. Tipped to go far."

Merlin mind was now racing. "Guy, I really need to meet this family. I think they're important somehow."

"Well, I can talk to my sister and see if she'll allow it. She's not entirely happy with Euan's ideas for their daughter, but she's a busy minister herself and ended up taking the path of least resistance."

"Your sister?" Merlin asked, trying to remember the connections. "You come from a fairly large family, if I recall."

"Yes, and Natalie's the youngest – she was just a baby when I graduated."

Merlin nodded. "Could you try and arrange it then? I believe it's vitally important I meet the child for myself."

~o~0~o~

When Merlin turned up at the address Gaius had given him, it was to be greeted instantly by two souls he knew very well. The pretty, dark haired lady and slightly older man were in the front room when he entered, both looking at him very suspiciously.

"Exactly who are you?" Uther said. "And why did you want to see Moira?"

"I am Guy's college lecturer and a specialist in ancient languages," Merlin replied. "And I thought perhaps I could help. Discover what it is you daughter's actually saying?"

"Then I'm afraid you've had a wasted journey," Uther said abruptly. "We have found a much better solution for our daughter's condition."

"We should at least hear him out," Nimueh said. "You know she's not happy since starting her treatment."

"And she was happy before? No, this is the best course of action and I'd rather have strangers keep out of our business."

"Please, Euan, let him at least meet the girl," Gaius said. "I assure you he has my total trust."

"That assumes that _you_ have my total trust, Guy."

"Euan! Do not speak to my brother so."

"I speak as I find."

Merlin suddenly sensed a magical pull from behind him and turned to see the little girl, Moira, standing at the doorway and staring at him intently. He gasped as he instantly recognised the soul behind those green eyes. It _was_ Morgana.

"I thought we told you to stay in your room," Uther said to this daughter.

"But I wanted to see the scary sorcerer," she complained with a pout.

"What?" Nimueh asked.

"Him!" She pointed at Merlin with a glare. "_She_ doesn't like him."

Merlin couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. The original Morgana of course had always been terrified of Emrys and he was now close enough in age and looks to that old man for the little girl to see a resemblance.

"What have we and your therapists told you, Moira?" Uther said "You are to forget your strange dreams and focus on the real world."

"I'm very sorry, Lord Emrys," Nimueh said. "She is usually far more polite to strangers."

"It's fine." He smiled at the little girl. "The beard does make me look a bit like Gandalf, doesn't it?"

Morgana shook her head with a glare. "More like Saruman," she declared.

"Ooh, you know that story, do you?" Merlin asked her.

"You've been letting her watch films about magic, Natalie?" Uther complained. "How is that going to help her get over this obsession with sorcerers and King Arthur?"

"That assumes I agree with you on her treatment." Nimueh retorted.

"Is this really the time?" Gaius complained.

"Good point. There, Lord Emrys, you've now seen the girl, but more than that I cannot allow."

Merlin nodded his head. "I understand, but if you ever change your mind...?"

Uther just gave a grunt as a reply and Merlin turned towards the door to leave. Morgana took one look at him and scurried back towards the stairs with a little squeak.

Making quite sure the other adults couldn't see, Merlin held out his empty hand towards the girl and, looking straight at her, cast a spell. She squeaked again but didn't run away, staring at his hand wide-eyed as a purple flower appeared there. Seeing the others were now following, he simply winked at the child and left the gift on the hall table.

As he turned to say a final farewell, he saw Morgana running back up the stairs, the flower now clutched firmly in her grasp.

~o~0~o~


	8. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**__ A typical MOT time jump._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Bristol University. June 2061**

**Press Conference to discuss the Project's success**

"Relax, Archie," Gwen said, putting a gentle hand on Arthur's shoulder. "This is supposed to be a celebration, remember?"

"Yes, yes, I know," he replied, still pacing. "But where are they? Where's Martin and my sister? They should be here by now."

"I'm sure they're fine. Perhaps they just got..." She flashed him a cheeky grin. "Distracted."

"Please don't," he complained. "I'm having enough trouble coming to terms with their relationship as it is."

"But Morgan's so much better now, isn't she?" Gwen pushed. "I mean, since she met Martin and became involved in this project."

"I suppose..."

"But...?" Gwen was getting good at knowing what he was thinking nowadays.

"How did she do it, Jennifer? How did she come up with all those obscure plans, when there was no way she could truly understand how complex the problem was going to be?"

Gwen just shrugged, having asked the same question herself not so long ago. There was no chance for further discussion, however, as they were now being ushered on stage to be greeted by a huge crowd of students, business people and journalists, all keen to meet the elusive group who had apparently solved in less than two years what it had taken others decades to understand.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Dean announced. "It is my very great pleasure to introduce the now famous 'Knights of the Round Table'!"

The audience cheered, many standing and whistling as they entered. Arthur blinked furiously as a thousand flashes danced across the darkness, threatening to obscure his vision completely.

They were shown to their seats on the stage but Gaius remained standing; waiting for the noise to die down before beginning his speech.

"Thank you. Thank you all for that lovely welcome and for coming here today. Let me, with no further ado, give you the good news. It appears that, despite this winter's record breaking rainfall, Project Camelot has been an overwhelming success. There have been no major incidences of flooding within the whole of the Severn valley and many communities which had to be abandoned in recent years, are starting to dry out; their old defences now apparently good enough to cope."

He had to pause for a while to wait for the cheers to die down.

"This is, however, just one small piece of a much larger problem, and flood prevention and drainage work will need to continue in various parts of the country. The new Prime Minister has already awarded the Thames project to The Knights in the hope that they can put their experience on the Camelot project to good use."

Another cheer.

"She is also to push through building legislation which will require all new houses to have accommodation areas on first and second floors only, with basements or garages only at ground level. However, despite all this, It is important to remember that all we are doing here is finding ways to _live_ with the new weather system, meaning that all projects will need to be _ongoing,_ and more inventive ways of dealing with the various problems we face will still need to be found."

It was amazing, Arthur thought, how many people believed that his team's work on complex dykes and drainage systems would somehow result in an improvement in the weather.

Arthur spoke briefly about his role as the engineering and team leader, before Gwen talked a little about the computer models in Merlin's absence. Elena also took her turn to explain how she had been drafted in by Lord Emrys from the Netherlands in order to pass on her expertise in drainage systems. Then the team answered questions about the project from all those with a vested interest. Inevitably these questions became more detailed and probing as the session went on.

"I've studied the specifications very carefully," said one man. "And it is interesting... most interesting. I'm curious as to how you came up with such an... unconventional idea though. I mean nothing like this has been tried in Holland."

Gaius did his bit then, speaking 'politically' in a way Arthur's father would have been proud of. Talking of the talent of the team and their ability to tackle the unique problems from unexpected angles. All the 'knights' worked hard not to look at each other.

_'Unexpected angles,' _Arthur thought. '_That's one way of describing it.'_

A lady from the press section stood up then, a rather sly smile on her face. "Maureen Jones – Daily Mail," she begun. "It is good that so much improvement has been made in such a short space of time, but I do worry about the long-term problems that this work may have inadvertently caused in the area."

"What problems?" Gaius asked.

"Well," Morgause continued. "This project was necessary because of a rushed job on the old Severn Barrier, and now there's talk of this solution also being a little... too good to be true?"

"I can assure you that there is nothing to worry about on that score," Gaius replied. "As I said, more work may need to be carried out in the future but, no, this will not make things worse, that much is certain."

"But what about the earthquake?" Morgause asked.

The group on stage all exchanged confused looks. "Earthquake?" Arthur asked. Most of them had travelled in from London and only arrived this morning. "What earthquake?"

"The one which happened a little east of here yesterday, in a place which had been badly effected by the old Severn scheme. It's not highly populated, of course, but England doesn't get earthquakes, at least not down here in the south."

"Ah, not exactly true," Gaius said, standing again. "If I recall correctly, there was one in Winchester about forty or fifty years ago, long before we started any of these flood relief projects."

"But there were flooding issues back then too, with various schemes set in place to deal with them," Morgause pushed.

Gaius shook his head. "Minor and very local; mostly involving clearing out old, overgrown drainage ditches."

"I can assure you," Arthur said. "Our work primarily involved finding ways to drain water away more efficiently so flooding would not cause problems to farmland or communities. All work was undertaken close to the surface with no deep ground penetration involved. There is no way that the two events are linked."

"Unless perhaps you are hiding something about the nature of this work," Morgause continued, still smirking slightly.

They all exchanged an exasperated look. "There is absolutely _no_ connection, I assure you," Gaius insisted.

Luckily after a couple more _sensible_ questions, the conference finished, although there was still media interviews to give and general socialising and promotions to take part in.

"Have you heard from Martin or Morgan?" Arthur asked Gaius during a short gap. "And what about Lord Emrys? Wasn't _he_ supposed to be here too?"

"I just got some vague message about Emrys being held up at home," Gaius replied. "And I've heard nothing from the two younger ones for a while, although I most definitely expected them all to be here, yes."

"I can't help but worry," Arthur continued. "And I'm not convinced that any of my calls are even getting through."

"I'm sure they're fine. I admit it's a shame the whole team wasn't here to join the celebration, but we managed well enough, despite that annoying women from the Mail."

He moved away then and Arthur immediately fished out his phone again, staring at it forlornly.

"Try not to worry," Gwen said, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "Just focus on the rest of this and we'll send a few more messages when we get back to the hotel."

He smiled then, placing an open palm on her cheek. "You are wonderful," he declared. "I don't know how I would have coped with all of this without your support."

She quirked an eyebrow. "And are you _only_ talking about my computer skills here?"

He smiled lovingly down at her. "I can think of one or two other things you're wonderful at," he replied, moving slightly closer to her, not thinking about what he was doing and where he was.

A camera flash made him jump and he turned to see Morgause standing next to a young, blonde press photographer with a sickly smile on her face. "Now that is a totally adorable shot," she crowed. "Perhaps you would care to give an interview at some point. 'The Romances of Project Camelot' perhaps?" Her smile turned brighter. "Or how about, 'The New Arthur and Guinevere'?"

Arthur glared at her before leading Gwen hurriedly away. So much for their decision to keep the relationship a secret from Uther.

~o~0~o~

**June 2059: Emrys Mansion**

The party weekend was over and the guests were making ready to leave the manor house. Merlin left Morgana to get dressed and rushed off to get changed himself.

Into Emrys.

He made sure to say a proper thank you to each member of the team as the old man, repeating to each how much he was looking forward to meeting them again at Bristol University in September and seeing what wonderful ideas they would come up with.

"Guy and I have spent very many years setting this up," he explained to Arthur. "But, apart from an occasional visit, we wish to put this project firmly into the hands of you young people."

"Ah...?" Arthur asked as the old man handed him a folder.

"_Your_ team," Merlin declared. "All their contact details and other relevant information. You are to be the project leader, Archie. Obviously Guy and I are but a phone call away and we both have contacts in the government if required." Arthur gave him a suspicious look. "As do you, of course. But most of _our_ contacts are actually on our side." And he laughed loudly.

"Yeah, thanks for that."

"Good luck, Arthur."

"Sorry?"

Merlin raised his eyes, cross with himself for loosing concentration and using the wrong name. "I've decided to call it 'Project Camelot," he declared with a sudden laugh. "And you, as Morgan so rightly pointed out, must obviously be our King Arthur." Then he hobbled quickly away before he made any other mistakes.

With a flash of gold eyes and a quick change of clothes he was Martin again, striding back towards his bedroom. It was a good job he'd changed _before_ he'd come back in because it appeared he had company.

"Morgan? What are you doing here?"

"I've decided to move in with you," she declared.

"Pardon?"

"Obviously I've not got a lot of stuff with me, but I thought perhaps I could go shopping tomorrow and get a few more things." She looked around the room with a frown. "Make this place a bit more comfortable."

"Morgan, you already _have_ a room. Down the corridor. Whatever will Lord Emrys think?"

"I thought you told Archie that I was your girlfriend."

"Well, about that..."

She moved closer and looked up at him seductively. "You do _want_ me to be, don't you?"

"I... just think... if we could..."

"Yes?" Her arms were now around his neck, her face so close to his that he could feel her breath on his lips. Merlin gave up and kissed her.

~o~0~o~

"So, what was it you wanted to discuss about this, Martin?" Morgan asked with a smirk as the pair lay naked in bed afterwards.

"I had planned to talk to you in detail before... this happened, yes," he said.

"And now?" she asked.

"Now you have a _really_ good excuse to quickly back out of the arrangement."

"What? Why would I do that? Especially now I know just how good you are in bed." She laughed. "A surprise, I admit, but a very pleasant one."

"Well, get used to that because you'll have plenty of those."

She arched an eyebrow. "Plenty of what?"

He shook his head with a smile. "Surprises."

She laughed and snuggled up against his shoulder. "So... are you going to give me all the juicy gossip on the mysterious Martin."

"Yes," he replied with a sigh. "I think it's high time I told you everything."

"Oh... okay."

"What you saw around that table was not part of you imagination," he begun. "It was, in fact, a measure of the truth. And, although there are some things I cannot tell you outright, I _can_ help you put together the pieces of the jigsaw that you already have, so you can figure it out for yourself – you are already incredibly close to doing so, in fact."

"All right."

"What _did_ you see around that table?" he asked.

"I saw all nine of you as you are now but also... I saw... other versions of you. Archie and you always look the same, whilst the others have slightly different faces but..."

"Yes?" he pushed. He could not tell her 'the ultimate truth' but, seeing how much she knew about the legends of King Arthur, he doubted that would be much of an issue here.

"King Arthur and the Round Table," she continued cautiously. "It's more than just my teenage obsession, isn't it?"

"It is."

"And Archie?" Her eyes suddenly widened as she moved slightly to stare at him. "Archie really is Arthur?"

"The Once and Future King," Merlin confirmed. "Destined to return when Albion's need is greatest."

"King?"

Merlin shrugged. "A leader then. The language has changed a lot over the years, as you know."

She did look sceptical then. "You're telling me that my brother is King Arthur returned?"

"Isn't that what you just told me?" he countered with a small smile.

"And that makes you..."

"Someone with very powerful magic whose job it is to keep him safe."

"Merlin?" she asked, sceptically.

He shrugged. "Again, you've been calling me that on and off all weekend."

"Yes but... I sort of put it down to the drugs."

"And now you're completely clear of them, yet you're still aware of the magic and are understanding more about your visions every day."

"But Merlin should be an old man like... Emrys... and..." She stared at him, blinking and he gave her an amused look in return. She shook her head then, as half of her brain made the next obvious step, whilst the other half flatly refused to believe it.

"I hope you've no objections to dating an older man, Morgan because, honestly, you really can't get any older than me."

"You really _are_ Merlin?" she breathed. "But you look... about twenty-two?"

"Martin's birth certificate says I'm twenty-four, two years younger than you are. I am most definitely not."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"I'm immortal. If you're serious about us being together, then you'll age and I won't. I can use my magic to change my outwards appearance at any time but, basically, I can still look this age when you're a hundred years old."

"Oh..."

"And I suppose I should also tell you that I can't have children."

"You can't?"

"I'm assuming that's just part of the deal and it's probably a good job. It's hard enough seeing those I care about grow old and die, I can't imagine what it would be like to outlive my own grandchildren."

"I... see..."

"And so, as I said, I had planned to tell you all this before we got seriously involved, but now you know and..."

She shrugged. "Now I know." Then she snuggled up against his shoulder and there was a long silence. Merlin had to admit to being confused.

"That's it?" he asked eventually. "No more questions or complaints about the lies I've told you? No worries about what this might mean for your future?"

"I'm trying to sleep, Merlin," she replied a little impatiently. "And I suggest you get some rest too. And old man like you is going to need all his strength for what I have planned for us later on."

The old Morgana, he decided, would most definitely _not_ have taken the news so calmly.

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N:** I kept trying to keep this simple and not time jump, but this is 'Master of Time' so the story ended up forcing the issue. _


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**London July 2061**

"When I get my hands on that journalist..." Arthur threatened as he pulled up outside Uther's house with Gwen. "'The New Arthur and Guinevere'! What was she thinking?"

"Well, you did say you wanted to find a way to tell your father about us," his girlfriend replied calmly.

"Not like that, Jennifer. I couldn't honestly think of a worse way of him finding out than by seeing our picture splashed across all the gossip columns, could you?"

"No, probably not."

"Although I really should have been paying more attention."

She grinned. "Yes, it wasn't exactly subtle, was it?"

"Or professional. I'm sorry about all of this, Jen. it's likely to be uncomfortable for you. My father still thinks we're living in the Victorian era where you only associate with others of your own class, and I just know he's going to make a fuss about our relationship."

"I'll be fine, Archie. We'll _both_ be fine, don't worry."

As usual, Gwen had managed to calm him down a little, although now he was rather more nervous than anything else. Uther had invited Arthur's whole team to his house today and, seeing how much they had all been in the news recently, he was fairly certain it was just an excuse to ensure his son didn't leave Gwen behind.

Luckily, the couple met Gwaine at the front gate and so were able to enter together. At first it appeared to be a casual gathering with food and drinks offered and introductions being made but it wasn't long before the real reason for the visit was confirmed.

"Are we still waiting for people?" Uther said eventually. "Only I thought Lord Emrys was coming and Moira and..." He counted heads. "Aren't we one member of your team short too?"

"All three of them have been a bit... elusive this last month," Arthur admitted.

"You don't mean to tell me there's some truth to these rumours?" Uther asked.

"Rumours?" he asked, nervously.

"About the project causing unforeseen problems; earthquakes and such."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ there's no truth to them."

"And _these_ rumours?" Uther asked, holding up a full page, sunlit picture of Arthur and Gwen gazing into each other's eyes and looking as if they were moments away from kissing.

Arthur winced. "Ah, well... there may be some truth to those."

"Perhaps that conversation should wait until later, Euan," Ygraine said.

"Perhaps but, what about Moira? She told us she was 'visiting friends' but, according to..." He looked down at another page and pulled a face. "...'Maureen's Murmurs' she is, and I quote, 'An invaluable member of the Camelot team.'" He turned to Gaius. "I thought I said she was _not_ to be involved?"

"You told _me_ I couldn't take part either, Father," Arthur pointed out. "And I said I was old enough to choose my own path. Moira is, as you know, two years older than me."

"In age perhaps but, with her particular condition, I don't really think that's a useful comparison."

"She is actually very much recovered now," Gaius said.

"Really?" Uther continued, sceptically. "And what about this? 'Rumours that romance has blossomed for _both_ siblings'?"

"I'm not sure it's my place to comment on that," Arthur replied with a wince.

"Although I suppose it does explain your other missing member?"

"I don't know where Martin is either," Arthur admitted.

"But _why_ was Moira on your team?" Uther pushed. "That's what I don't understand."

"We couldn't have done it without her," Elena said. "Her design was inspired."

"_Her_ design?"

"I did try to explain," Gaius said. "I did tell you that her illness was not at all what it seemed."

Uther paused, obviously struggling to take the information on board. "You mean... like an autistic savant or something like that?"

The group exchanged nervous and wry looks. "Something like that, yes," Gaius replied.

~o~0~o~

**Bristol University 2059**

**Project Camelot**

"So, welcome to Project Camelot," Gaius said with a smile, waving his arm around the huge, light space which had been custom built for this team.

"Most of you know your roles on this team," he continued. "But I am here today to check you have everything you need and fully explain Morgan's presence here. What some of you may not realise is that, for many years now, she has been drawing pictures which relate directly to the flooding in this area. Once I became aware of this I was determined to bring her in on the project."

He then handed out some folders which contained copies of various sketches she had drawn over the years.

"These are... lovely," Gwaine said, carefully. "But I'm not sure exactly what... ah, I mean...?" He turned the folder sideways and frowned at one of the drawings, trying to make sense of it.

"Exactly," Gaius continued. "Morgan has created these images with no real understanding of weather systems, water courses or engineering, and yet I am convinced that she has some knowledge here that you others do not."

His sister, Arthur noticed, seemed uncharacteristically nervous, with her head down and her lip held firmly between her teeth. She was also keeping especially close to Merlin and he couldn't help but wonder exactly what had gone on between those two over the summer. Morgana seemed very, very changed during these last three months, to the extend that he barely recognised her from the girl he'd known before.

Just as soon as Gaius had left, his sister moved over to Gwen and the two sat next to each other at the computer, heads bowed whilst they talked in low whispers. Merlin was working with Percival at another console, Gwaine, Lancelot and Elena were pouring over old paper maps on the large table in the centre of the complex and the others were milling around generally; writing up lists and requisition requests, sending messages and setting up the various databases ready for the work ahead.

Arthur sat and surveyed the group. His team. The Knights of Camelot, as they had already started to call themselves. He smiled wryly as he watched them working all the while experiencing some other emotion he was struggling to interpret. The feeling was one of completeness, like a key turning in a lock. A faint whisper, just on the edge of hearing.

"_Welcome home,"_ it seemed to say.

~o~0~o~

Time flew by and Arthur couldn't remember ever feeling this content and excited about anything in his life. He had never found mornings easy to deal with but, nowadays, the prospect of yet more exciting challenges ahead made it far easier to get out of bed. More questions to ask, more solutions to find.

To his surprise, Morgana was a real asset to the team and also seemed very popular with the group. She had always been difficult to get along with when she was younger, and that was probably putting it kindly. Now, however, she would walk into the room gently, with little of her usual swagger in evidence, and sit herself down next to Gwen in order to start 'translating' her dream-inspired drawings into something rather more workable.

From time to time the pair would come over to Arthur and talk about what they were discovering and, later still, the whole team would sit around the large interactive screen and discuss what was happening in all of their mini departments.

"But it doesn't make any sense," Elena said at one point. "Why would you put a drainage ditch here? This land is rising the wrong way."

"Yes, but it'll turn back on itself, Ellen," Morgana said. "And anyway, you won't be able to get it to run through this place anyway."

"Why not?"

She shrugged, glancing towards Merlin. "I have no idea. I just know that it won't work if you try it."

"Morgan is working on pure instinct," Merlin explained. "It's like the visions she has. I'm not sure that science can explain it, but you've all seen enough of her skills by now to know that she has some abilities that we do not."

"So we are to move forwards assuming this is all correct," Elyan said. "And then...?"

"And then we'll start running computer simulations and find out for certain," Gwen finished.

"A problem, Ellen?" Arthur asked as he saw the Dutch girl shaking her head.

"it is not really a problem," she replied. "It's just definitely _not_ the way we do things at home."

~o~0~o~

It was not all about work though. As Leon had said when they'd first met at the Emrys Mansion, this University campus was well equipped for leisure too. A gym, swimming pool and other sports facilities were available to all of them, as were many other recreational activities.

Every Friday night Arthur would take his team into the city centre where they would eat out at a restaurant before visiting a pub or two until closing time. Merlin didn't drink so he would always drive them if necessary and afterwards they would all return home to their own, personal Hall which contained a large, en-suite bedroom each, along with a communal kitchen and social area.

Not that they always used the bedroom assigned to them. Gwen now usually shared with him, and his sister was always with Merlin. Arthur was not aware of any other serious relationships within his group, although he got the feeling that there was quite a bit of bed-hopping going on after dark.

He felt absolutely no reason at all to intervene on that score.

Progress was quick and, to everyone surprise, Morgana's plans all seemed to work perfectly once translated and simulated. As Elena had said, it didn't make any sense but it did look as if it could actually work.

"Don't you think it's going just a bit too smoothly though," Gwen asked him one night as they lay in bed.

"What's this, Jennifer?" he teased. "Aren't you usually the optimistic one?"

"I know," she replied. "It's just that I sometimes feel that we're missing or overlooking something obvious."

"What do you mean?"

"Like a computer model which says a component can't possibly work in a certain situation, citing requirements which are frankly impossible, and then... well I mention it to Martin and he just says it's some programming error and that he'll take a look later. The next day everything's just fine."

Arthur shrugged. "Have you seen his qualifications, Jen? I mean, I know computing isn't my specialism, but, as much as it pains me to admit it, that boy is a genius. And I'm not just using that term lightly. He really is incredible with computers."

"I know. I understand that, it's just..." She shook her head. "No, you're right. I'm just looking for problems where there are none, I'm sure."

She had a point though and Arthur knew he wasn't the only one asking how so many apparently impossible issues were being solved so easily. However, every time a question was raised, the answer was readily supplied by Merlin or Emrys or Gaius and, as long as all the paper work backed them up, there really wasn't anything else Arthur needed to do. His job was simply to oversee the project and report back, nothing more.

~o~0~o~

"How are you, Morgan?"

Arthur made a point of seeking out his sister one evening and making sure they had a chance to talk uninterrupted for once.

She gave him a long, suspicious look. "What are you after, Archie?"

"Nothing, honestly. I'm being serious. We've only ever talk about Camelot and I've not had a chance to... chat with you for ages."

She rolled her eyes. "This is about Martin, isn't it?"

"Not if he's treating you well," he assured her. "Not if you're happy."

"He is and I am," she replied promptly. "He's been helping me because..."

"Yes?"

She shook her head. "He went through something similar with his gifts when he was young."

"I see. That makes sense now I think about it." He nodded. "And you're much better now. No more fits and visions?"

She winced. "I do still get them, yes, but they're definitely not as bad as they were."

"Well, that is good news."

She grinned then. "And sweet Jen is, of course, far too good for you."

"Thanks for that, Sis."

"But she's making you happy too, I think."

"Yes," he admitted. "She is."

"Good." Morgana suddenly grinned broadly. "Joint wedding then, when this is all finished?"

"What?"

"Why not? I think I want to keep this one, and can you imagine the look on Dad's face when we tell him the news."

"Morgan, that isn't funny."

"No?" she retorted with a smirk. "Are you sure? I think it's hilarious."

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N:** I love to stay well ahead on my fics and, after a great week, have already reached the end (12 chapter + an epilogue). Lots of editing to do but, depending on work, I may increase the updates to twice a week. _


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: **

**London July 2061**

Morgana and Emrys strolled into Uther's house a couple of weeks after they'd originally been invited.

"You're late," Uther said in way of a greeting.

"And you're rude," Merlin countered without a pause. "Always have been."

He did so love being able to say things like that in his old guise.

"Have you seen what the press have done with this, old man?" Uther continued, waving a newspaper in his face. "They've made your team and my family into a laughing stock."

"Not at all," Merlin disagreed. "Your son and his team are national heroes. Most of this country's teenagers have one or other of their posters up on their walls."

Including his younger self, which he thought most odd.

"What?" Arthur wasn't the only one to look shocked at the news. The recent press conference and all the ensuing publicity had suddenly thrown the whole group into the media spotlight.

"You're a pin up, Archie," Merlin continued with a grin. "Add the rest of your handsome team to the mix and you can just hear the sound of thousands of young hearts breaking." He cupped one hand against his ear. "Listen... Yup, there you go!"

"Enough of this nonsense," Uther snapped. "Why were you two not at the conference or here last week, and where is..." Uther grabbed a nearby newspaper and waved a surprisingly flattering picture of young Merlin in Morgana's direction. "... this one? The love of your life, according to Maureen."

"Martin couldn't make it," she replied calmly. "He had to attend the funeral of a friend – his childhood sweetheart. He was really upset about it all, poor thing."

Arthur grabbed his sister's arm as she sauntered past him. "Why have you not been answering your phone?" he hissed.

"There's a really bad signal down in that valley at the moment," she replied, smiling sweetly at him.

"It was fine the last time I visited."

She shrugged. "Now it's not."

"And Lord Emrys?" Arthur continued. "What's _his_ excuse for not attending?"

She rolled her eyes. "You remember why the old man was determined to invest so much of his own time and money to the project, don't you?"

Arthur shrugged. "His land was flooding?"

"Yes and now, thanks to us, it's not. He obviously had a lot of work to do surveying it since the water receded."

"What's _really_ going on, Morgan?" Arthur pushed. "What are you not telling us?"

"And what's all this about an earthquake?" Uther was asking Emrys. "That must have been near where you lived."

"Very close, yes," Merlin replied, exchanging a wry look with Morgana.

"The papers have their own theory on that, of course," Uther continued.

"Quakes here are rare, it's true," Merlin replied. "But not unheard of."

"Yes, you see. That's what I told them," Gaius said. "It was a year or two after the 2014 floods if I remember correctly."

"January 2015 just outside Winchester," Merlin replied quickly, pulling a face. "As I said, it happens from time to time."

Morgana turned to him with a look that was half frustrated, half amused. "What did you do _that_ time?" she whispered.

"A complete accident, honestly," he whispered back. "I was just passing through."

"And?"

Merlin shook his head. "Long story."

"Well, you may have solved some of the problems in the short term," Uther continued. "And you may well have been awarded this prestigious Thames contract, but I'm still not happy about so many of these things going on behind my back."

"I'm sorry, Father, honestly I am," Arthur said. "I promise we didn't keep anything from you deliberately. It's just this project has been such a whirlwind... the time flew by so quickly you see and we were all so busy." He shrugged. "I promise I'll keep in touch more often now, especially as we're working so much closer this time around."

"Moira?"

She shrugged. "I promise to bring Martin to see you as soon as he gets back from the funeral." She suddenly grinned, slyly. "And then the whole family can sit down and discuss the double wedding Archie and I have been planning."

"What?"

"_Really_ not helping, Morgan," Arthur complained.

~o~0~o~

**May 2061**

Project Camelot was complete and the designs had finally been approved. The engineering side of the team still had work to do, but Morgana's job was definitely over. Merlin didn't feel there was any need for Martin to travel over there either, as any further computer work could easily be covered by Gwen and Percival.

So, it was time to go home and spend some quality time with Morgana whilst also keeping an eye on the valley as the project work commenced to the west.

Merlin had long ago learnt to revel in the pleasure of those rare romantic relationships he became involved in, whilst working hard not to think _too_ much about the future. As a rule, he didn't tend to experience _huge_ sexual cravings but, once the circle opened, he usually found himself pulled into a close connection with one old soul or another – although it tended to be either Arthur or Morgana.

And after the initial depression of having lost Arthur as his lover back when he was Æthelstan, Merlin quickly became rather more philosophical about the whole thing. The wheel would turn, the Circle would reopen and he _would_ see everyone again. It was that knowledge which kept him going in the long years in-between and also gave him the ability to relax and enjoy each romantic relationship when they happened, and this time with Morgana was exceptional. Not since her original version had she ever had such strong magic, and this meant that the two of them could experiment and find ways to use it both in and out of the bedroom.

And yes, now she was no longer on any drugs, medicinal _or_ recreational, she was a lot happier and far more stable. However, she was still Morgana and she was still a Seer. That one fact would never change.

And so she continued to have her visions and her nightmares and Merlin tried to be around to be supportive and help her to remember. But he inevitably had distractions of his own and it was only now, back here in the valley, that he begun to understand what some of her earlier cryptic comments had meant and finally started to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"_The water recedes, but it is not enough, and Emrys cannot defeat this threat alone. For two are needed to begin the Centre's __rise and only then, when __Avalon bleeds,__will __the third arrive to create a __new circle in place of the old. _

"_A new circle, a new dawn. A new __heir to inherit the cave. Three sorcerers to __ensure Albion's magic is fully restored."_

~o~0~o~

When Morgana came around from her latest trance it was to find Merlin deep in thought, surrounded by numerous drawings and copies of her previous visions.

"Emrys cannot defeat this threat alone," he quoted. "I worked that one out before and it's why I've been training you. I've known for some time what needed to be done to save the cave, but even _my_ magic isn't strong enough to accomplish such a feat. I'm going to need you to help me."

"I see," she said, sliding over to get a better view. "The centre rises. I've said that before, haven't I?" She grabbed a piece of paper and begun to study it.

"Yes but this stuff about an heir is new," Merlin replied. "It makes sense though, I did wonder how even the two of us were going to be able to move it quite so much."

"Move what?"

He shook his head. "Perhaps it's Mordred," he continued. "Perhaps _he's_ the heir. I've still not discovered his whereabouts this time around."

"I don't think so," she replied, looking up from the paper. "I don't think that vision was referring to any of the original souls."

"And before you said 'Avalon falls' but, today it was 'bleeds'. Only..." Merlin shook his head. "Language issues again – the words are always changing."

"Avalon is real?" Morgana asked.

He nodded. "Yes. The lake is here, on my land."

She sat up straighter, her eyes wide. "Really? Can I see it?"

"If you like." He picked up another drawing. "I've worked so hard to protect it over the years, but the main reason I felt I couldn't do too much about this magic problem was..." His heart dropped as he put all the pieces together and finally understood what was going to happen. "No..." He suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

"What? What is it?" Morgana asked.

"The Centre rises and Avalon..." Merlin jumped up and started to head towards the door. "It can't be true. It just _can't_ be!"

"What?"

~o~0~o~

"Merlin stop! Slow down. Where are you going?" Morgana rushed out of the house after him.

"To the lake. I need to talk to someone. I need to find out for sure."

"What?"

He didn't answer her. He dare not stop. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as he ran the familiar route to the old lake, Morgana now hot on his heels.

Freya was waiting for him; standing delicately on the water surface, still dressed in the borrowed gown and quite unchanged from the day Merlin had first lay her to rest here. He stopped, stunned. It had been a long time since she'd appeared to him quite so clearly.

"The lady of the lake," Morgana breathed.

Merlin hadn't given much thought about her following him, but it seemed that neither was objecting to the other's presence.

"We meet again, Morgana," Freya said with a small bow. "And I am pleased to see you fully healed."

"Healed?"she asked.

"Your mind was not especially healthy when you last came to seek my advice."

"She did?" Merlin looked between them, surprised. "You didn't tell me that, Freya."

"I have had _some_ business other than yours to attend to over the centuries, Merlin," she retorted with a teasing smile.

He winced. "Of course. Sorry."

"And now that business has ended and I may finally rest."

"No!" he shouted. "No, I came here today so you could _deny_ Morgana's vision, not confirm it."

"Our Circle is ending, Merlin," she said. "I am not the first to leave it, but my departure does herald the birth of the next cycle."

He shook his head. "I have spent my life protecting you and this place. I cannot now be the cause of its undoing."

"Dear, gentle, Merlin. My time has come and I fervently hope that my soul will soon be free to swim with all the others, rather than be trapped here for all eternity. You would not deny me that, would you? You would not deny me the chance to live a mortal life again."

"I would see you again, the next time around?" he asked.

She smiled, shaking her head. "You still do not fully understand, my love, but you must remember that your task has always been to protect Albion over and above Arthur or me or this lake. We were just the means to help you to achieve that goal. Now we are not."

"No..." his voice was a whisper.

"You _know_ what needs to be done," she continued. "You've known for many years and now, with Morgana by your side, you have the power to accomplish the task."

"But..."

"It _must_ happen or everything you have worked for will be in vain." She looked up at Morgana with a smile. "May I have some time alone with Merlin? I need to convince him of the necessity of this task and... we need to say our farewells."

"Freya..." he sobbed.

"Of course," Morgana replied, but she moved forward at first, putting a gentle hand on Merlin's shoulder. "I'll give you two some time alone but I won't move far away. We'll talk about this some more afterwards, yes?"

He shook his head, still in denial about what needed to be done.

"Yes, stay close, Morgana," Freya said. "Because I wish to talk to you afterwards. Help _you_ to understand what is happening here."

"Of course," she said, nodding her head, so deeply it was almost a bow. Then she reluctantly moved away from the pair, trying to resist the temptation to use her magic to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I just hope he doesn't hate me for that vision," she whispered to herself.

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N:** Time for a couple of comments._

_1: One of the reasons for the delay in this part of MOT was due to strange guilt. I started to plan this idea of flooding causing major problems in the UK during late 2013 and, when the serious floods occurred in early 2014 I felt strangely guilty and I think that was one reason why I couldn't get focused, preferring to work on other stories._

_2: The good news was that I was able to include the 2014 floods in this new draft as well as the earlier 2007. Both are mentioned during this fic._

_3: I started back on this in early 2015 and already had much of the plot sorted when I heard of an earthquake in Winchester - the old capital of Wessex - in January this year. My first thought on hearing the news was, "What have you done now, Merlin?" Inevitably that got included in this chapter._


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Morgana asked Merlin to wait for her whilst she spoke to Freya but, when she turned away from the lake, her boyfriend was nowhere to be found. With a large sigh she headed back to the mansion, only to find he'd locked himself in the room which housed the old Round Table. She shook her head and knocked loudly.

"Go away!"

"Let me in, Merlin. We need to talk."

"Just leave me alone."

"You know I can't do that." No reply. "Open this door, Emrys or I'll use magic."

"Go... away!"

Morgana shook her head sadly, lifted a hand towards the lock and focused. It opened easily and she smiled bleakly. If Merlin had _really_ wanted to be left alone he could have easily kept her out. Despite rapid progress in her lessons, her magic was still no match for his.

She entered the room to find the sorcerer sitting in his place at the table, head bowed down on the cold stone surface.

"You know what Freya said, Merlin. You _know_ what we have to do."

"I can't, Morgan. Really... If I do I'll kill her."

"No, you'll set her free from her prison."

He shook his head. "You don't understand."

"No, _I_ understand perfectly, it's you who's letting your emotions get the better of you."

He looked up then, shocked at her comment. His face was pale and his eyes red and swollen from crying. "_You're_ one to talk."

"_My_ emotions are now perfectly under control, thanks to you. Now it's my turn to repay the favour. You can stay here and sulk and deny it as much as you like but you _know_ what needs to be done. Everything you've worked towards for the last seventy years has been heading towards this moment. You _know_ it has."

"And the rest." He sighed and said nothing for several long moments. "Tomorrow," he said finally. "We'll do it tomorrow."

~o~0~o~

Little was said that night or first thing the following morning with the couple simply dressing and eating in virtual silence.

"Well?" Morgana asked him, eventually.

He sighed deeply. "You were right, of course." He then got up and headed towards the door before turning around to look at her. "Well, are you coming or not?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile. "Apparently I'm indispensable."

"Hmm."

"So, we're going to this Crystal Cave?" she asked as she loped after him.

"I'm not sure if you'll be allowed in."

"But I thought this was all prophesied. I thought I was needed?"

"Maybe, but the cave is different. Special. Only the Guardian is allowed to find it and it generally protects itself."

"So?"

He shrugged. "There was once another entrance and I'm hoping, since the work has been completed, that it won't be flooded any more."

"Oh, I did wonder why Project Camelot was required if we could solve this all with magic."

"Yes, the water level needed to drop enough for us to be able to access this lower chamber and, from there, I'm pretty certain we can solve the problem."

"Okay." They continued in silence for a little further.

"Here," Merlin said. "Do you recognise this at all?"

She looked upwards and turned around, trying to get her bearings. "_Everything_ in this valley has always felt familiar," she said. "But I'm still not able to fully access Morgana's old memories."

"Well, she lured me in here and tried to trap me. Well, she _did_ trap me for a while. So I suppose it makes sense that we're to go in here together again. Bring everything around full circle."

The water level had definitely gone down. This time last year the whole entranceway had been submerged, but now there was just a small layer of water left on the floor. The place felt damp and cold but at least it was accessible. Merlin closed his eyes and reached out his senses.

"Good, the magic appears a little stronger again," he decided.

"Why does the flood water dampen it?" Morgana asked.

"I've no idea. Water in general doesn't but there's no question it's been fainter since the cave started to flood."

"And now?"

"And now we're going to raise it."

She frowned. "When you say raise...?"

"I mean we're going to use our magic to physically lift the whole of this rock upwards."

She gaped at him. "And what's going to keep it up?"

"Leave that to me. You just need to lift."

"What about the third sorcerer, this heir?"

"For two are needed to _begin_ the Centre's rise," Merlin quoted.

"Stage one?" she guessed.

"Or stage two if you count the Knights' contribution."

"Of course. So?"

He shrugged. "I still have my misgivings but, as you said..." He blinked back tears.

"It _has_ to be done," she reminded him, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"I know. Are you ready?"

"Yes," she replied. "Let's do this."

~o~0~o~

The amount of magic needed was immense. Nothing Merlin had ever attempted in his very long life had required more effort and, even with the two of them lifting, it was a slow and difficult task. The weight felt real, as if he really was holding up layers and layers of rock from both below and above. And he was even having to shift the earth's crust itself because, as Morgana said, there needed to be _something_ to hold the cave up in its new, higher position. Sweat began to pour from Merlin's brow and lights started to flash before his eyes, and he could feel Morgana trembling next to him too. Had he got it wrong? Did there need to be a third sorcerer after all?

One last effort. One final push but, at that point, there was no way of knowing if they'd been successful or not as the strain of the weight and the exceptional use of magic became too much and the pair collapsed into unconsciousness.

~o~0~o~

"Merlin, wake up!"

"What?" He opened his eyes to find Morgana hovering over him, looking concerned.

"I'm not sure what happened," she said. "I'm not sure if it worked."

"Me neither." He sat up and shook his head, trying to grasp his magic and work out what was happening. "I feel... most odd."

"I'm not surprised. That was far harder than I expected."

"No, I mean I feel... different... strange."

"You're probably just drained," she suggested. "Can you still do magic?"

A look of horror crossed Merlin's face and he quickly cupped his hands and focused. When he opened them again, a small blue butterfly flew out. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that is beautiful!" Morgana breathed.

"Seems to be the spell of choice in this cave," he said with a smile of his own. "I still feel weird though."

"Well, at least your magic's working. Can you stand?"

He wobbled a bit and she did too but, otherwise, neither of them seemed too badly affected. "I don't know what it is, just something feels... a bit off."

"And the cave? Did we do it?"

He closed his eyes for a second before nodding. "I think so, yes. The magic feels very much stronger and, look, the ground here is a lot dryer than it was when we entered."

"Look!" Morgana said, pointing. "Look at where the butterfly is heading. Towards that blue glow."

He smiled broadly then. "Good. Let's see if we can sneak you in the back way then."

"That's the Crystal Cave?"

"The true Centre of magic, yes, and I would love you to be able to see it. If it's allowed."

The climb up was tiring and the pair of them struggled after having used so much of their energy on the spell. As a result they needed to stop almost as soon as they entered the main part of the cave, finding a ledge to sit on which overlooked the glowing blue crystals below.

"It's _so_ beautiful," Morgana declared.

"Yes," Merlin agreed. "I just wish I knew why I felt so strange."

"Actually, I'm feeling something quite different now," Morgana said with a sly smile.

"What?"

"Well..." she replied, sidling a little closer to him. "You know how I _usually_ get after using magic..?"

He smiled weakly. "I think I'm a bit too tired for that at the moment."

"Really? Are you sure? Perhaps just a few kisses then."

"Just a few kisses?" He laughed. "You know where _that_ normally ends up with us."

She grinned. "Perhaps it might wake you up. Honestly, how can you _not_ feel turned on after using all that magic?"

He shook his head. "I think that must be your own, unique side effect."

"Are you _certain_ about that," she said, leaning even closer so she could kiss him gently on the lips.

As usual, it didn't take long for his body to be persuaded. In fact, Merlin often wondered if Morgana was using magic on him, although he was quite certain that would be something he could sense. He still felt tired though, whilst she now seemed to have rediscovered all her energy, so he was quite happy to lie back and let her do most of the work.

"Ow, not too rough, Morgana. I'm lying on stone here, you know?"

"Aw, poor baby," she cooed, although she did immediately start to be more gentle. "Perhaps I should stop completely if it's hurting you."

"Don't you dare," he replied and she tipped her head back and laughed, happy that he'd finally caught up with her own level of passion.

~o~0~o~

Time always was a bit strange in the Crystal Cave and Merlin had to admit that he lost track a bit then; still tired from using so much magic and yet quite unable to resist Morgana's sexual advances. Not that he was unwilling. In fact, _he_ was the one to initiate their next encounter, surprised at how quickly he'd become ready considering how tired he was. Perhaps Morgana was right about the side effect of using so much magic, or perhaps it was something unique about the Crystal Cave.

The couple finally started to make their way outside by some unspoken agreement, but still with little idea of how much time had passed. The trip was challenging though, because the landscape around the back entrance of the cave had changed so much after their extraordinary spell, and the whole area was now sitting far higher in the landscape.

Within seconds of leaving the cave mouth, both of their phones started to beep continuously.

"Oh bother," Merlin grumbled as he looked down. "We were suppose to be at the press conference."

"What? Is it that time already?" Morgana too looked at her phone and winced. "My dear brother is not at all happy."

"Yeah, we're going to have some explaining to do. Oh well, that was more important and it's not as if we really needed to be there. Guy and Archie can cope well enough."

She nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a bit odd but I've no idea why. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with me that I can tell."

She put a hand on his brow and studied him intently for a few seconds. "You seem the same to me."

"Probably just feeling Freya's loss," he said quietly.

She nodded. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Would you go and look at the lake and see what's happened, Morgan? I don't think I can face it."

"Of course. I'll go and do that now. Run me a hot, deep bubble bath for when I get back, would you?"

~o~0~o~

When Morgana finished her bath she came back into the bedroom wrapped in a couple of towels to find Merlin sitting cross-legged on the bed and studying a map.

"Did you phone Archie?" she asked.

"No, I just sent him a text saying we were having problems with reception here and would be back in London soon."

She sighed. "I suppose we'd better had. My father's been sending messages too and his latest one seems rather ominous."

"Yes, and then there's this..." Merlin pressed the remote towards the big screen and the sound came on to reveal a reporter talking of an earthquake in Gloucestershire.

"Ah...?" Morgana gave Merlin a long look and he shrugged.

"Yeah, that was probably us."

"Will that cause problems?"

"I'll go back out tomorrow and sort out all the magical defences. Hopefully I can shield most of the changes from all their imaging equipment, make it look like a coincidence."

"Dad said something about gossip in the newspapers too?"

"Yeah, I caught a hint of something on the news earlier. I've ordered some copies which should arrive tomorrow. We'd better get all the facts before we face the team and your father."

"Will you go as Martin or Emrys?"

"The old man, I think. Probably easier just in case the rumours about us have reached Euan already."

She scoffed. "As if I care what he thinks about that."

"Perhaps, "Merlin said. "But I thought, you know? One issue at a time?"

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N: **In case you're wondering Morgana's calling Merlin by his real name now because he asked her to and, yes, she knows everything now, or as much as it's possible to learn after a relatively short period of time. Merlin tends to still call her Morgan, but he will forget from time to time, especially if he's distracted! ;)_

_Thanks for the lovely reviews. Despite having most of this written for a while, I've had a few RL issues and haven't kept on top of the replies as much as I'd like. But they are all very much appreciated, obviously._


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**London August 2061**

"Where the hell have you been, Martin?" Arthur raged as soon as Merlin set foot in the main living room of his father's house.

"Pretty much what I said," Uther mumbled.

Morgana played her part then, coming over, looking concerned and acting as if she _hadn't_ just seen Merlin here yesterday as Emrys. "How are you?" she asked, resting a gentle hand on his arm.

He shrugged. "Better, I think. Starting to come to terms with everything."

"Why didn't you say something about this friend of yours?" Gwen asked, gently.

He shrugged. "It all happened so quickly and what with Lord Emrys having to see what had happened to his land and the bad reception and then... that. I'm sorry I missed the press conference but... it's not been an easy few weeks."

"We understand," Gwen said, giving Arthur a pointed look. "Of _course_ we do."

"Yeah, sorry I snapped," Arthur said. "And, I'm sorry for you loss."

"Thanks." At least Merlin didn't feel like a fraud. Losing Freya still hurt and, this time around, he had no idea if he'd ever see her again in _any_ form.

"Yes, of course. Our condolences," Uther managed. "However, now you _are_ here, I think you and I need to talk, man to man... about Moira."

"Dad, honestly," Morgana interrupted. "This is the twenty-first century, not the nineteenth. We don't need to seek your permission."

"That may well be the case, but can I not at least _talk_ to the young man of your choice and find out something about him?"

She pulled a face and didn't answer.

"It's fine," Merlin replied. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you earlier, sir but... as I said."

"Yes, of course. It's just that she and Archie are talking about a double wedding next month and, well, it all seems rather sudden to me. I would have thought... considering... that you might even agree?"

"I understand," he replied. "But, as Archie said, everything has been happening quickly lately so we just thought we'd go with the flow."

"Elaine and I just can't see any reason to rush. Why not next summer, or the one afterwards?"

"It's almost all arranged now, Dad," Morgana said. "And I know you think we don't know our own mind and are rushing into things but, I promise you, this is what we all want."

"It's true," Arthur said. "Please. _Please_ give us your blessing. It would mean the world to me if you would."

**September 2061**

The double wedding was going ahead as originally planned, despite Uther's reservations, and the two young couples were staying in London whilst the final arrangements were made. The rest of their friends were here too, with those few who didn't live here, staying with relations or other members of the team.

"Surely you're not nervous," Merlin asked Morgana who was looking exceptionally pale the day before the ceremony. "You've not been yourself at all this last week." He smiled slightly. "Having second thoughts?"

"Of course not," she replied hastily. "It's just that I've... not been feeling well."

"Perhaps you should see the doctor."

"Yes, I was going to." She frowned. "You know, if I didn't know better I would have thought..." She shook her head.

"What?" Merlin asked.

"I was thinking I might be pregnant."

"What?" He laughed. "You can't be."

"Yeah, I know you _said_ you couldn't have children, but how do you know? Really?"

"I've been in a number of relationships with girls over the years," he replied casually. She raised a questioning eyebrow. "Most of them you..." he added hastily. "...and I had a test last time around when Gwaine was working in the medical profession; 'Firing blanks' was the phrase he used, I believed. He was very confused in fact, saying my sperm count wasn't simply low, but actually non existent."

"But perhaps that's changed?"

"I told you, Morgana. I'm immortal and so it does make a certain amount of sense."

"Yeah but I was thinking about the prophecies. That one talking of the third sorcerer – the Heir?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well I thought, fate -or whatever it is - might have made an exception in this case. A third sorcerer is needed to move the cave up to its final position, and what better candidate than the child of the only two other people who have magic."

"But..."

Merlin's mind started racing. What Morgana had suggested sounded pretty logical but it was a huge shock, and he had to admit to experiencing numerous selfish feelings about the whole thing. Why couldn't the Heir have been Arthur and Gwen's child?

"I had hoped you'd be a bit more enthusiastic than this," Morgana said after a long silence.

He looked up at her, wide-eyed. "But, what if it's Mordred? It's always been his fate to kill Arthur and... and I don't think I could bear that. I mean, how much worse would it be if he were my son?"

She shook his head. "I told you before, Merlin. The Heir is part of a _new_ circle, not the old."

"But what if it isn't the Heir but it is Mordred anyway? That would also be enough of an excuse for fate to bend the rules and allow me to have a child, wouldn't it?"

"Well, I've bought one of these tests this morning," she said, holding up a box. "So let's not jump to any conclusions yet. Perhaps it is nerves, as you said. Or maybe a sickness bug."

Merlin nodded mutely as she headed off to the bathroom.

**Late September. Wedding Reception**

"So tomorrow it's off to our Honeymoon in Greece and then we're back here to work on the Thames project," Arthur slurred, taking another long swig of his drink.

"Better go easy on that, Archie or Jen won't be getting _any_ sort of honeymoon," Morgana teased.

"Well, at least _we're_ getting into the spirit of things," Arthur said and then laughed. "Literally in Jennifer's case."

"Yeah," she replied, taking another sip of her rum. "I know Martin doesn't drink but what's _your_ excuse, Morgan?"

"Does alcohol mess with your gifts too, like the drugs?" Arthur asked her.

"A little," she replied carefully. "But... that's not why."

"Ooh," Gwen said. "You're not?"

"Not what?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Yeah. I'm pregnant," Morgana confirmed.

"Really? That's brilliant." Gwen's gaze went down to her middle. "When's it due?"

"End of March."

"Seriously?" Arthur said turning a sly look towards Merlin. "That was quick work."

"Not planned, I assure you," he replied. "Honestly, I didn't think I was able to."

"You didn't?" Arthur asked. "Why?"

"Something my doctors said when I was younger," he replied, truthfully.

"Oh but that is _such_ good news," Gwen said.

"Yeah, so go easy on the alcohol tonight, brother, and perhaps our child can have a little playmate."

Gwen grinned at Arthur who nodded. "I think we might wait a year or two though."

"Yeah, at least make sure there aren't _two_ girls off the team at the same time."

Morgana shrugged. "I doubt I'll be much use to you on the Thames project anyway as I'm not getting any insights on that one. My visions are still all about the west."

"You're _still_ getting them?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," she replied cautiously, exchanging a look with Merlin. "But they're rather different nowadays."

"In what way?"

"Hey, why are you four looking so serious?" Gwaine said coming over. "This is a party you know. And it's _your_ party. So, let's celebrate your long prison sentence."

~o~0~o~

**March 2062**

"Well?" Morgana asked, impatiently.; suddenly sounding very alert, despite the pain she'd been in just a minute before.

"It's a girl," Merlin said proudly, tears in his eyes.

She smiled. "Good, but that's not what I meant. Do you recognise... her?"

"Oh.." He blinked. "I forgot about that for a moment."

Merlin took the baby from the nurse and carried her over to his wife, taking the opportunity to look at her properly. Then the little girl opened her eyes and looked straight at him and he caught his breath, struggling to concentrate when his daughter was gazing up at him with such perfect dark blue eyes.

_His daughter._

He handed her over with a smile. "It's not Mordred," he whispered. "I don't recognise her at all."

"I told you," Morgana crowed, pulling the baby closer to her and gazing at her face. "I told you the heir would be a new soul, and Freya told you that her... departure would herald the birth of the next cycle."

"Freya!" Merlin exclaimed, beaming at his wife.

"Of course," Morgana replied, with a gentle smile. "That's perfect."

**2071**

"Look! Look at this." Merlin rushed forward holding up one hand - fingers pinched together. His wife looked up from her easel and squinted, whilst their nine-year-old daughter lay on her stomach on the floor, also drawing.

"What?" Morgana asked. "I can't see anything."

"It's a hair," Freya declared. "Why are you upset, Dad, are you going bald?"

"It's a _grey_ hair," Merlin said mournfully.

Morgana laughed. "So?"

"I don't get grey hairs until I'm fifty."

"You have dark hair," Morgana said calmly. "Plenty of dark-haired people start going grey in their thirties."

"Not me and I should know. I've been thirty-five a lot."

Freya giggled. "Now that's not something you hear every day."

"Honestly, Merlin, I don't see why you're so worried. Perhaps things are different this time around."

"Well yes, that's what I thought. I mean, didn't I say I felt different back in the cave?"

Morgana frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I said I was immortal and couldn't have children. Then we lifted the cave and suddenly..." He pointed his daughter. "... we have Freya."

"And she's not Mordred and she has magic so...?"

"She's the Heir, yes. I'm sure she is, but that's not what I'm saying. What if I didn't have her simply because she was needed. What if I had her because I was suddenly mortal."

"We're _all_ mortal," Freya said, still focusing on her drawing.

"Yeah, remind me to talk to you about that sometime," Merlin replied offhandedly.

Morgana nodded. "Actually thinking back to the conversation with Freya." Their daughter looked up and she shook her head. "The _other_ Freya. That makes sense. After all, she did say our Circle was ending and it was time for a new one."

The room spun and Merlin felt suddenly dizzy. He swallowed hard and staggered over to a chair to sit down.

"Merlin?"

"I really am mortal?"

"Yeah, join the club."

"Yes but... after all this time... that takes some processing."

"I'm sure it does."

"You all right, Dad?" his daughter asked with a frown.

"I'm... I'll be fine in a minute." He tried not to think about it too much. "What are you drawing? Your little characters again?"

It seemed Freya had inherited her mother's gift for art, sometimes drawing imaginative places and odd-looking fairies but, more often, characters studies of numerous people – each becoming more and more detailed as the years progressed.

"Not this time," she replied. "I was just trying to draw this place I dream about sometimes. It's nothing really."

"Show me?" he asked, suddenly desperate for a distraction.

Freya shrugged and lifted up the picture to reveal a clearly recognisable drawing of herself standing in a grey cave lit with bright blue stones. She turned it so her mother could see too.

"You dreamt about this place?" Morgana asked.

"Yes. Is it real?"

"It is," Merlin confirmed.

"Can I go and see it?"

"Not quite yet, sweetheart," Merlin replied. "The Crystal Cave is an overwhelming place for a young sorcerer and you'll need to be very much more in control of your magic before then."

"Perhaps you should give me more lessons then."

"It's not that simple. I was twenty-one when I first went in and it freaked me out even at that age."

"I'm not scared," she said, lifting her chin defiantly.

"Fear has little to do with it." He sighed. "You _shall_ see it, Freya, I promise. Honestly, if we're correct about you and your destiny then we've no choice in the matter. Apparently that cave is your inheritance."

"I'm going to have to wait until I'm twenty-one?" she asked.

"That seems as good an age as any," Merlin confirmed.

"But I'll be so old!"

Merlin and Morgana exchanged an amused look as Freya sighed and sat next to her mother. With both girls focused on the easel, Merlin stared at the floor and tried to come to terms with what he'd learnt. He was mortal. He would finally die. He had perhaps sixty or seventy years left to live. If he was lucky.

Right now he felt even more terrified than he had that first time he'd set foot in the Crystal Cave.

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N:** Congratulations to sjrtiss for spotting a plot similarity with 'We Loyal Traitors'. It wasn't a coincidence. At the start of 'Slave of Destiny' I said that I was taking a number of my other stories as Canon and that was one of them. I won't say more in case you haven't read it yet, but it does help to place a common thread reaching right back to the Purge. My head canon also has Taliesin as the Guardian before Merlin._

_Others of you guessed many of the plot points revealed in this chapter too and, with one more chapter and an epilogue to go, it won't be long until you find out how all of these things play out._


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Young Freya had a strange upbringing; very different to her cousins and other children of that era. She spent large amounts of time running and playing in the valley, both on her own and accompanied by one or other of her parents and most of her free time drawing. In the house she had lessons with Merlin and Morgana and, even when she reached school age, they continued to educate her at home – having no desire to insist a four-year-old kept silent about the numerous, important secrets her family held.

Whilst in the valley she was a lively, happy child but, away from it, she always became quiet and reserved; not especially interested in socialising with her three young cousins when in London – although it was quite a different matter when they came to Gloucestershire to visit her.

"You should send her to school," Uther said when they visited her cousin William's seventh birthday party – Arthur and Gwen's eldest child. "It's not right for a girl her age to be on her own. A brother or sister might help there too." He looked pointedly at Morgana.

"The size of our family is _our_ business, Dad," she replied calmly. "Unless you'd really like to hear detailed accounts of what happens in our bedroom every night?"

"Moira!"

Merlin tried and failed to muffle a laugh whilst Arthur choked on the drink he'd just taken a sip of.

"Why don't you play with William and his friends?" Merlin suggested to Freya a little later as she sat on a large armchair sketching, whilst her cousin and his friends were playing noisy games next door.

"But they don't have magic," she replied quietly. "And I can't talk about it, so I find them all a bit boring."

"_No-one_ else has magic," he said in a whisper. "So, you'll have to get used to that and find other things to discuss."

She shook her head and nodded at her handheld computer which showed her latest, highly detailed, versions of all her special characters. "_They_ do," she insisted.

Any other parent might dismiss such comments out of hand, but Merlin now had plenty of experience in such things. "Who are they?" he asked, gently.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Sometimes I think I remember a name or where one of them lives but then... I forget."

"_Why_ are you drawing them?" he pushed.

"So I can find them when I'm older."

"They have magic?" he asked.

"Some do. Others will discover it later. Most will come when Lady Fae calls them."

Merlin opened his mouth to ask the next, obvious question but quickly changed his mind. He smiled gently at his daughter, allowing her to return to her sketching, before moving over to Morgana, and passing the news onto her.

"I did wonder," she replied. "Those characters she draws are remarkably consistent. Still in some ways I agree with Dad. It is a shame she can't have friends of her own age."

So, when Freya turned eleven, her parents decided she was old enough to cope with everything and enrolled her at the nearest secondary school. It still required a long bus ride but, by this point, they had very little concerns for her safely – other than the usual.

"Now, Freya, don't forget..." Merlin begun as she left for school that first day.

"Yes, I know, I know..." she interrupted, with a long suffering sigh. "Keep The Magic Secret."

**March 2084**

The three sorcerers walked up the path leading from their house, which dragged slowly up through the old valley. Not that that was an entirely accurate term nowadays, not since Merlin and Morgana had physically lifted the whole area up several meters. The only hints of its past shape were to be seen in the dips that the various clay pathways still sat in as they wound up towards the Crystal Cave, now mercifully dry for most of the year.

"It's all wrong," Freya said with a shake of her head as they walked. "I've realised it for a long time but it's only now I'm starting to understand."

"What do you mean?" Morgana asked her. "_What_ do you understand?"

Their daughter shook her head. "I'm not sure how to put it in words. It just feels as if this place is in limbo – currently neither one thing or another."

"The magic is still holding though," Merlin said. "It's stronger here now than it has been for some time, in fact."

"Yes," Freya agreed. "But it's not strong enough."

"So we raise it some more," Merlin said as they started to clamber up the very steep slope which lead to the cave mouth.

"No, I don't think so," his daughter replied. "All of this area needs to be... sorted. The cave needs to..."

"Yes?"

She shook her head again. "I'm sorry. I feel I should be able to make more sense of it."

"Well, there's no real rush," Merlin says as they entered the lower cave. "Here, lets look over all the drawings you two have made over the years and discuss it. I'd really rather not do anything until we're quite certain of the goal."

Morgana placed a large folder on a flat, stone ledge and opened it, carefully spreading the various paper drawings and print outs that she and her daughter had made over the years.

"Here..." Freya said after a while, picking up one of her more recent pieces of art. "This is what it needs to be. Not a valley but a hill."

"What are these lines?" Merlin asked, pointing.

"Lay lines?" Morgana suggested.

"Yes, in a sense," Freya replied. "But more like... magic conduits. They've been disturbed, see? I mean, they were getting weaker anyway, due to the lack of attention, but now, after the flooding and the shift, they're struggling to soak up the magic."

"Soak it up?"

"Yes!" She smiled brightly. "That's what we need to do. Not raise the valley but heal it. Give it back its magic and then let it grow by itself."

"Freya, sweetheart, you need to be more specific than that."

"No, I think I understand," Morgana said. "I've been trying to make sense of the visions myself. Magic _will_ return here in the near future. _Fully_ return. I've been dreaming it for a while but didn't fully understand what I was seeing."

"But this is the twenty-first century," Merlin disagreed. "How would the world deal with or cope with magic in this day and age?"

"Yes, and that's part of the issue," Freya said. "The old valley had curses to protect it from unfriendly eyes, but they stopped being effective a very long time ago."

"That's true," Merlin agreed. "They were weakening even when I was your age."

She nodded. "So we need _new_ defences. Much like the ones you've already given it, Dad, but permanent. Self renewing."

"And you have an idea of how to do that?" he asked.

"Not exactly, but the valley does."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied with another bright smile. "It's like a computer. We just need to give it power and programme it. Look, link hands and focus on the cave and you'll see what I mean."

Merlin really did wish he had more of an understanding of the process but, as he pushed his magical awareness out towards the cave, he begun to see a new shape forming, as if the area itself was trying to explain its wishes to them. He had to admit he didn't like this lack of control but, as he had only recently started to accept, his time as the Guardian was coming to an end and Freya was his heir – _The_ Heir. It was therefore inevitable that she should be the one with the insights, not him.

"So we're not lifting it higher," Morgana realised. "Not exactly."

"Some of it, perhaps," Freya said. "We're just... shifting it, rearranging it... reforming the place."

"Into a hill." Finally Merlin felt he was seeing and fully understanding the vision. "It looks a little like the one at Avalon."

"Of course," Freya agreed. "But this will be very different. The hill will protect itself, you see. Not everyone who can see it will be able to reach it and most will not see it at all. As it gets stronger it will grow in height but, as it does so, it will also use its own magic to hide from all forms of scrutiny. It will not photograph or scan or register in any way."

"Just like the old Bermuda Triangle," Merlin mused. "That too was hiding an old magical centre."

"And Atlantis and Babylon and numerous other places which needed to keep their magic safe from the world as their civilisations developed," Freya agreed. "In fact, it's amazing this place survived for as long as it did in such a basic form."

"We have your father to thank for that," Morgana said. "No other magical centre has ever had an immortal guardian to protect it."

"So, once this is done, I may not need to live for as long as Dad has? I may not have to go through a cycle of constantly meeting up with old souls?"

"That I cannot say for certain," Merlin said. "It did say a new circle was opening, so you may well have your own long task ahead. Or, as you said, it could be that you can achieve what is required in a single life-time."

Freya nodded, thoughtful.

"I'm sorry that such responsibility has landed on your young shoulders," Merlin continued. "I know what it's like and I know it isn't easy. However, I do hope that I've prepared you for the challenge better than my teachers did."

"From what you've told me of Kilgharrah and Taliesin, I can't see how you could be anywhere close to as cryptic as they were," Freya replied.

"That's certainly true."

She grinned then, holding up another picture. A drawing of strange flowers and plants, with little fairies and other unusual creatures dancing around them.

"This is true too," she declared. "A magical centre needs magical creatures to populate it, but this new world will need to start small. It would take many thousands of years for creatures as large as dragons to appear again."

Merlin glanced over at Morgana and raised an eyebrow and she returned his sceptical gaze. Their daughter's declaration of a new world full of fairies and magic seemed to seriously contradict this current world of computers and technology. Never in his wildest dreams had Merlin imagined he'd have to wait _this_ long to bring magic back to the world.

~o~0~o~

This final step took longer than before, but was nowhere near as exhausting. Freya, now fully understanding the plan, focused on the shape and the feel of the area, willing the lay lines to align, allowing the small amount of magic which was already here to be used to best effect. Merlin's main job was to 'supply the power', slowly allowing his own magic to seep into the area by focusing it through the crystals. As he did, he too saw glimpses of the future, the crystals at long last gaining enough energy to start offering visions again.

"Will I lose my power too?" he asked, almost to himself. "Lose my magic as well as my life?"

"_You are magic itself. You cannot lose what you are." _

The voice belonged to his daughter but with a strange deep tone to it, which seemed to echo Balinor's. Merlin's eyes filled with tears as he remembered that time when his father's spirit had appeared to him and willed his son to continue living. All Merlin could think about back then had been about that one battle of Camlann and whether or not it would be lost. It had seemed to be the only thing of importance at the time.

They had all been correct, of course – Kilgharrah, Balinor and Taliesin – that one fight had been both a passing skirmish and a vital passageway to a new, long future. All those events would lead to his gaining control of this cave and, from there, allow him to keep magic alive in this area – just barely – for all these long centuries, in order for his daughter to take over the task in the twenty-first Century.

For a moment Merlin felt the annoyance of the young man he used to be. All that stress and anguish and upset over such a small piece of the puzzle? But then, wasn't that everyone's destiny? Spending so long fretting over events which were so very important to them at that moment, but were just one small piece of the puzzle in the grand scheme of things?

He shook his head, dismissing such gloomy thoughts. He needed to be strong now. He needed to do his job. Give as much of himself as he could to the old valley – as much of himself to Freya. He may now be mortal, but Merlin would live on in Freya and Emrys would live on here, in this new magical Centre.

"You must lay me to rest in the Crystal Cave, Freya," he declared unemotionally.

"You're not going to die here, Dad. Don't be so melodramatic."

He laughed. "I know. Not now, not today. But when I do. Your mother too. Our magic is too precious to waste and New Avalon will need it."

She sighed. "Yes, I understand and I'll remember. No need to bring the subject up ever again, all right? You're both living to at least one hundred, do you hear?"

"Of course," he replied with a smile. "And, as you mother's daughter and a seer in your own right, I trust you to know for sure."

~o~0~o~

"Is it done?" Morgana asked some time later.

"Yes.. and no," Freya replied with a small frown.

"Helpful," Merlin mumbled, sarcastically.

"I think _your_ job is finished," she said quietly.

"Oh." He took a deep breath. "Right."

She turned to him and bit her lip. "Will you show me the Crystal Cave now?"

He looked upwards to find the back entrance had now disappeared and it was no longer possible to sneak in that way.

"It's healed," she declared. "Most of damage done to most of the magical parts of the old valley have been repaired and returned to their original state."

"So, we'll go in the front way," Merlin said. "And you will only be able to enter if you are allowed to."

"And I assume I will not?" said Morgana.

"I think there was only ever one reason you were allowed to enter it before," Merlin said.

She nodded. "In order to conceive Freya."

"Yes."

"Information your daughter did _not_ need to hear, thank you very much!"

~o~0~o~

The scene the family emerged to was totally different to the one they'd left behind. Merlin thought perhaps he recognised a couple of old trees, one or two unique rock formations but, other than that, it was as if the whole place had been... redrawn. As if each individual plant and stone had been lifted up and then relaid in a far neater, more pleasing position than before.

"It's beautiful," Morgana breathed. "Even _more_ beautiful."

Merlin and Freya moved around this new, amazing woodland hill mostly on instinct. Not knowing exactly where the cave entrance would be but simply following their inner senses. The fact that Freya took each turn at exactly the same time as Merlin convinced him that she would be allowed entry and that this was the time he was truly going to pass on the inheritance.

The pair of them stepped into the glowing crystal cave and Freya gasped. Merlin closed his eyes, bathing in the light, revelling in the sense of its renewed power. It was beautiful and entrancing and so very strong.

A small sob next to him reminded him of what he himself had told Freya some years ago. The sensations in here were overwhelming for a young sorcerer no matter how well he had prepared her for it. He turned to her and held her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"I know it's tough, love. I understand. My predesesor wasn't that sympathetic but I remember and understand. It will get easier as your power grows but, right now, you need to try. Just look briefly into a crystal." She shook her head. "Just one look and then we can leave. I'll be here all the time and I'll be around afterwards to talk to you about what you've seen. Just once and then it's done. If you follow my path then you won't need to return here for a while and, when you do, you'll be strong enough to cope."

"I know. I understand," Freya sobbed. "I know what I _have_ to do but..." She took a deep breath and turned to look at a crystal. Merlin hated watching, hated seeing her go through the same pain as he'd experienced, as the visions slammed into her head, occupying every part of her brain and body and taking hold of every single emotion.

As he briefly glanced at a crystal, however, Merlin felt nothing but a warm surge of magic as a series of rapid visions flashed before his eyes, one after the other. Far too much information to fully process but not enough to disorientate him. Then it too seemed to grab him harder, the visions coming faster and faster. So much knowledge of the future, so many important messages and then...

_Silence._

Another sob from Freya distracted him from the sudden emptiness and he turned to hug her close. "Enough," he decided. "That's more than enough for your first time. Come, let's get out of here."

As he walked back to the entrance, still clutching his daughter close to his side, Merlin took one more look at a nearby crystal and focused hard.

_Nothing._

Only his concern for his daughter allowed him to take those last couple of steps out of the cave and, for the next hour, he tried to forget about that strange fear he'd felt as he'd left. He took Freya back to her mother, with strict instructions to give her a sedative to let her sleep deeply, and then, without further explanation, ran back towards the cave.

He returned back home a few hours later in tears.

"Merlin, whatever is the matter?" Morgana asked.

"I couldn't find it," he sobbed.

"What?"

"The cave. I walked around and around that hill but felt nothing. It's not going to let me back in."

She sighed, holding out her arms to embrace him. "I think you knew that was going to happen."

"Perhaps I did, but it's still a shock."

"I understand. But you still have your magic?"

He nodded, smiling weakly.

"It's all about Freya now," Morgana continued. "You still have a lot to teach her."

"Yes and I was granted visions before I left which I still remember. Enough to keep me busy for many more years, I would think."

"Well then, time for you to get some rest and then, in the morning, you and Freya can have a long talk about everything you saw and experienced in there."

"It's over," he whispered as his wife held him in his arms and hugged him close. "I'm no longer the Guardian of magic. I'm no longer Emrys."

"That may be true," Morgana said. "But, the other way of looking at it is that you're no longer Destiny's slave either. You can live your own life now. Whatever you want that to be. We both can."

~o~0~o~

* * *

_**A/N:** Basically the end of the story, although I have an epilogue for you to round everything off completely. It's already written and edited so I'm thinking I might be able to get that out before Sunday. Perhaps Good Friday barring RL commitments._

_Oh dear, as I started to write young Freya's story I realised I had a whole, strange Merlin/Original AU on my hands. Did anyone else get that feeling? :P_


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Emrys Mansion December 2099**

"More guests have arrived," Merlin told Freya, as he walked past her on the way to the front door.

She looked up at him, turning briefly away from Lancelot and his family. "Any idea who?"

"Archie and Jen, I think."

"And my cousins too?" Freya asked, excitedly.

"Yes." He laughed at her enthusiastic response. "You never used to be keen on them."

"I was a child then and didn't know any better. They are my relations so, of _course_ I'm pleased they're here. I'll come out to say hello in a minute."

Merlin walked out of the front door to find a large car pulling up fully laden with five adults and one small child.

"I always forget how impressive this place is," Arthur said as strode over, hauling Merlin into a rough bear hug. "How are you, Martin?"

"Can't complain. You?"

"Feeling my age... Can't believe it'll be a new century tomorrow."

Merlin laughed. "Tell me about it... Hello, Jen."

"Martin, you look so young still," Gwen said as she reached him. "As does Morgan. I don't know what your secret is."

"The country air, as we told you before," Morgana replied striding out to greet the new arrivals. "You really should visit here more often. Stay here for an extended summer holiday, perhaps?"

"I'd get bored here. You _know_ I would," Arthur retorted, signalling for his children and daughter-in-law to come over to be reintroduced.

"Marcie and her family couldn't make it today – she had a party of her own to host," Gwen explained, talking of their second child. "But she sends her love, of course."

"A shame," Morgana said. "But we'll meet up again soon, I'm sure."

"So, this is a school now?" Arthur said, looking up at the building. "It still looks in good shape, considering."

"Select students," Merlin replied with a smile. "More of an extended family really. They take good care of the place."

"Well, you certainly have the room," Gwen said. "And I think it's great what you're doing here."

Merlin felt a tug on his shirt and looked down to see a small child with a mop of dark hair and light coloured eyes looking up at him.

"Hello, who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Tammy."

"Our first grandchild," Gwen added proudly.

"It's nice to meet you, Tammy," Merlin said.

"I like this place," the little girl declared. "It's pretty."

"Thank you. How old are you, Tammy?"

"Five and a half. Can I go and see the hill?"

Arthur and Gwen looked around confused. "What hill?"

Merlin and Morgana exchanged a look.

"The one up there," she replied, pointing. "The fairies said I should visit them."

"The imagination of this one," Arthur said with a fond laugh. "Reminds me of you when you were little, Morgan."

"We do have some wonderful grounds," Morgana answered, crouching down so she was at the child's eye level. "Your cousin Freya would love to take you for a walk there if your parents allow it."

They turned to their daughter who was only now exiting the front door and Merlin say her eyes widen as she took note of the little girl.

"Fae!" The child called, running over to Freya with her hands held out.

"Hello Tammy," Freya replied calmly.

Gwen cast a confused look at Merlin, knowing the two had never met before and wondering at the familiarity.

"She's a little young yet," he replied to her silent question. "But perhaps, in time, your granddaughter could come to our school?"

Arthur gave him a very suspicious look. "Your school for the 'gifted'?"

"Yes."

"Gifted like you and Morgan?"

"And Freya. Yes."

"And this is one of those times when you suggest I don't ask any further questions, isn't it?"

"Dear brother, you are getting positively wise in your old age," Morgana said, looping her arm in his. "Come, I know it's a dry day, but we really should be getting inside. Peter is here and all of Landon's family too."

"Yes and I hear another car arriving," Merlin said then.

"Goodness," Gwen said. "It's going to be a very full house."

**Party to See In the 22nd Century**

"Another one of your Specials?" Merlin asked his daughter later that evening.

She smiled brightly. "And a family member too. I did wonder how long it would take for one of the old knights' families to start showing some ability."

"How are you going to deal with this over the years, Fae? The house and the hill are only so big."

"New Avalon is as big as it needs to be," she replied cryptically. "And they won't all stay here, as you know. The magic will soon seep out into the rest of the country and my own knights will help with the work and seek out others. I suspect that Tammy will be one of them."

"It's at times like this I'm glad I've passed the baton," Merlin said.

"Yes, I notice you're getting more relaxed about this mortality thing now."

He sighed. "It's taken some getting used to but, yes, I'm content enough now."

"In that case, why are you still talking to me? Time is precious and all that. Go and be with _your_ knights."

He bowed deeply. "As my lady Fae commands."

~o~0~o~

So Merlin was able to live a normal life.

Well, as normal a life as one can have living with numerous sorcerers, in an ancient house, next to an invisible hill, populated by new-age fairies and sprites. Their time was over. Their circle was closing. Gaius had been the first to leave, at the age of ninety-five, on the same day – the exact moment – that Freya became the new Guardian of the Crystal Cave. For the first time in the history of Merlin's long, long cycle, every single member of the Round Table lived to at least ninety years old.

Mordred never had reappeared, which made perfect sense to Merlin in hindsight. The previous time around had seen Arthur's old advisory atone for his crime and ask Emrys' forgiveness for that and all of his soul's transgressions. Of course, at the time, Merlin had still been grieving and not fully able to appreciate the importance of such a gesture. His wife, now having fully gained all of Morgana's memories, loved to tease her husband about how he had never really changed in that regard. Still far too keen to react emotionally, take things personally and not see at the bigger picture.

Merlin had expected to live a bit longer than most, seeing just how much magic he had but, in the end, he realised It made perfect sense that he'd leave with Arthur – at exactly the same time as Arthur – because, honestly, he'd lived long enough without his soul-mate and it made no sense for the pair of them to be apart any longer.

So the nine of them joined Freya, and all the other souls who'd been roughly bound to that cruel circle of fate for so many centuries, and they were finally released to be reborn with no preordained destiny shaping their lives.

Would Merlin have any connection to his old friends when he was next reborn? Would he and Arthur meet again? Would he have magic and meet back up with his daughter at New Avalon?

These are all questions for another time. For another life. Because Merlin's story is over.

He is finally free.

**The End**

* * *

_**A/N:** Thank you for your reviews, follows and likes on this. Of course although this is 'the end' of Merlin's circle, that does not necessarily mean the end of this Saga as there are plenty of reincarnations to revisit from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. Nothing specifically planned at this point in time, but I've a few rough ideas in my notes Doc. The advantage of having a non-linear story - there is no real end. :D_

_And, of course, I've opened up the way for an AU/Original to follow Freya's Circle, which really caught me by surprise. Whilst writing her story during these last couple of chapters a few ideas have already hopped into my head about what that might involve, but it'll will require some further thought before I can contemplate it. _

_Nothing else _new_ on the cards for 'Merlin' at the moment but I do have some drabbles to add to my 'The Heart of Camelot' collection at some point as well as the start of a little Merlin/HP crossover. Will try to get those over here soon._

_Jaq xxx_


End file.
